You're On My Mind
by LitLover 101
Summary: Inspired by TVD 7x21. Caroline did not let go of Klaus after leaving New Orleans. Instead, thoughts of him had been preying on her mind ever since her trip. Now, will she stay in her new life or will she take a chance and follow her heart? No longer a one-shot. Crossover with TO.
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: I do not own** _ **The**_ _ **Vampire**_ _ **Diaries**_ **TV show. That honor goes to Julie Plec and Kevin Williamson.**

 **Hello, my lovely readers. So after the tiny Klaus mention on** _ **TVD**_ **, I was inspired to write a tiny story about Caroline not being able to stop thinking about Klaus which takes place sometime after the dust settles with Bonnie, the Vampire Slayer, running around. On with the show…**

You're On My Mind:

 _Klaus_. _Klaus_. _Klaus_. Caroline took a deep breath. Closing her eyes, she decided to not allow the name to haunt her. She would not allow his status as being MIA get under her skin. Klaus was not her concern. He was the last of her concerns. He was not even worth her second thought. _Nope_. _Not thinking_ _about Klaus_. _Not ever again_.

Reopening her eyes, Caroline felt lighter. She began to smile when she thought. _Klaus, where are you_? _Damn it_. Gritting her teeth, she shifted her thoughts to her wedding. To her girls. To her fears for Bonnie and her friends. To anything but Klaus. Anyone but Klaus.

Going to New Orleans had been a mistake. Yes, she did it for all the right reasons, to keep her babies safe. But who knew what kind of danger lurked in the city. And who knew how many enemies Klaus had made. He could have gotten her and her children killed. But before he did everything in his power to save them because he loved her. She knew that. She hated it. She hated the fact she knew he loved her and would kill anyone who laid a hand on her. And she loved it, too. Damn it.

Not staying in New Orleans and figuring out what in the hell was going down there, that was the real mistake, she argued with herself. Shaking her head, Caroline let out a heavy sigh. Stay or go. If she had stayed, what would she have done with her kids? It would have been one thing to stay when it was just her, no kids in tow. But now, everything was different now. Klaus would understand her dilemma. He would understand why she didn't come looking for him. Why she hadn't asked questions. Why she had run, again. He would… But still…

Caroline wished there were simple answers, but when it came to Klaus, her relationship with Klaus, nothing was ever easy or simple. If only she had never seen Klaus. If only she had never spoken to Klaus. If only she had never danced with him, laughed with him and laid her body bare to him. If only she had never kissed him. If only she had never loved him. Not even for a second. If only she could just let him go. And he her.

Sighing, Caroline pressed her hands to her temples, taking in steadying breaths. She was good at compartmentalizing problems. All she had to do was take a box marked "Klaus" and shift it to the furthest part of her mind and to leave him there, forgotten. Forever. But she couldn't. She wouldn't she knew that.

At the end of the day, Caroline grabbed a bag and began to pack. She knew where she was headed. She was going to find him. Even if she had to search every part of New Orleans. Even if she had to become Klaus and search every corner of the earth, she would find him. Then she would kick his ass for disappearing on her. That was her last thought as she closed the door and headed toward the airport.

 **Thank you for reading, faving, following and reviewing.**

 **Peace,**

 **Jessica**


	2. Chapter 2

**Hello, my lovely readers. This chapter is dedicated to TabithaTVD and Seralina who asked me to continue this fic. It is also dedicated to Hellzz-on-Earth for inspiring the focus of this chap. On with the show…**

Chapter 1: Good-Bye is Not Forever

Trembling. Her hands were trembling as they gripped the steering wheel. Unshed tears burned the backs of her eyelids. Everything hurt while Caroline sat in her car, waiting for the stupid traffic light to change. She should turn back. She should turn the damned car back around and never think about Klaus ever again.

When the light changed, Caroline placed her foot on the gas and moved forward, further into London's bustling streets. The school stood a mere mile from the street she drove down. She could drive there with her eye closed. Not that she would. She was a mother now. She knew better than to endanger the tiny humans that would be moving to-and-fro. Feeling her heart squeeze at the thought of what she was about to do, she sucked in a calming breath.

Parking the car in the lot, she placed her face on the steering wheel, inhaling and exhaling slowly like she did in her thrice a week yoga classes to keep her calm. She no longer had Ric in her life to do that for her. More tears ran down her cheeks at the thought of Ric and his final moments. No, she wouldn't think about that. She had to go inside and say good-bye to her girls. Not forever, just for a little bit, like when she went to the grocery, only the grocery was in another country.

Caroline found the courage to get out of her car and to walk into the school. She took a flight up the stairs to the second floor, moved around a corner and then stood to peer through a small window. She caught sight of her little ones, sitting beside each other with matching smiles as they listened to the woman at the head of the classroom speak. Caroline watched them, her heart giving another squeeze. If she started to cry again, she would so kick her own ass.

"And tomorrow I want all of you to bring in your favorite thing. Billy, that does not mean your python. Right?" the teacher called to the class, her eyes narrowing slightly at a red haired boy sitting two seat behind Lizzie.

"Yes," Billy groaned before sticking his tongue out when the teacher turned her back.

"I can see that," the teacher called, waving a piece of chalk at her pupil although her head was turned to him.

Smiling, Caroline watched the children run out of the classroom and into the hallway. "Mommy!" her girls cried to her, running into her arms.

"Hi, girls. How was class?" she asked and she tried to listen to their answers while memorizing every last detail of their little faces.

"Billy ate glue!" Lizzie cried.

"And Ms. Tulle is a witch!" Josie cried causing Caroline to clamp a hand over her own mouth to stop herself from laughing.

"Honey, we don't use the W word in public," Caroline reminded her daughter, stroking her cheek.

"But Abigail says," Lizzie objected when the aforementioned witch cleared her throat.

"Hello, Caroline. What brings you by our humble educational establishment?" Valerie inquired, folding her arms over her chest and smiling to show she didn't mean anything malicious by her words.

Straightening up, Caroline looked down at the girls and then up at Valerie. "Actually, I need to ask you for a huge favor," Caroline replied slowly.

"Alright," Valerie nodded. "What is it that you need from me?"

"I was hoping that you could take the girls for a couple of days," Caroline began when Josie let out a whine.

"No, mommy! You're not leaving us, again, are you?" Josie cried, her eyes filling with tears.

Lizzie grabbed Josie's hand and stared up at Caroline with wide eyes. "You can't leave again!"

"Josie. Lizzie. It will only be for a little while. It won't be like last time," Caroline told them, sinking to her knees so they were the same height.

Josie hugged herself, still holding her sister's hand. "I swore I would never go away for that long ever again. And I meant it. I will never leave you like that. Okay?"

"Okay," Lizzie said, even though the uncertain frown on her face spoke another story.

"You're going to have so much fun with Valerie. She'll show you all kinds of cool, new, non-dangerous things to do," Caroline gave Valerie a warning look with her eyes while her lips showed a sun-shiny smile.

"Understood," Valerie said with a smile of her own. "Come now, loves, we'll end up being the best of mates. You'll see. I'll make you fudge like my mum used to."

Getting to her feet, Caroline waited for her daughters to agree. She knew she couldn't go anywhere if they said no. Their eyes moved from their mother to Valerie and then back again. "Can we stay up to… nine o'clock?" Josie asked.

"And watch a scary show?" Lizzie piped up.

Valerie looked to Caroline. "Nothing too scary," Caroline told them.

"We'll miss you, mommy," Lizzie said, held out her arms and Caroline hugged her tightly before picking up Josie.

"I love you bunches," Caroline told Josie, tickling her before setting her down.

"Bye. Be good for Valerie," Caroline told them.

"We will," Lizzie called back and then the girls ran off to their recess.

"Thanks for doing this," Caroline said quietly to Valerie who nodded.

"Is everything alright? Did something happen to…" Valerie trailed off, shifting her gaze to focus on a spot down the hall.

"He's fine. At least the last time I talked to him. He was fine," Caroline glanced at Valerie whose body had relaxed.

"Good. Good. Well, then. I will call you if anything goes awry," Valerie let out a light laugh. Working with children seemed to have mellowed Valerie out and she seemed happier to be surrounded by them day in and day out.

"Here is a spare key to the house," Caroline said as she pulled a key off her ring. "Lizzie can't sleep without her bear, Mr. Snuggles. And Josie likes to be read to from _Frog and Toad_. If you need anything, you have my cell number. Just call me about anything and I will be back so fast you won't remember I left." Her body was vibrating from her nervousness.

Valerie's eyebrows knit together. "Caroline, are you alright? You're shaking. Are you sure it's not something to do with Stefan? Or have you had that much coffee?"

Shaking her head back and forth, Caroline tried to calm herself. "Nope. Not Stefan. Definitely not him. It's… someone else. Someone I used to know. It could turn out to be nothing. I'm sure it's nothing. But it could be something and if it is something, I'm going to come back and get help. That's all. It's just an old friend who might have disappeared," Caroline stopped herself when Valerie's eyebrows shot upward.

"An old friend who might have disappeared or did, in fact, disappear?" she asked.

"Did? Might have? I don't know," Caroline's face scrunched up. She had said too much and now Valerie looked worried.

"It sounds like you think this old friend is in some kind of trouble," Valerie replied.

"That would be nothing new with him. He likes to make trouble," Caroline retorted darkly. Now that she heard the words coming out of her own mouth she was beginning to have second thoughts about her plans.

"So… Let me get this straight. You're going to try to find out if your friend, who might be missing, who likes to make trouble, is missing, and, not to be presumptuous, this might have been his own fault?" Valerie ventured. She began to smile. "Is this a friend of the only friendly nature or is this an ex that we like to refer to as a friend? I'm still getting used to all of the categories."

"He's complicated," Caroline told Valerie feeling her cheeks flush.

"So he is an ex. An ex who likes to live dangerously. Color me impressed. I would have never thought you liked the bad boys," Valerie teased.

"I don't. Not anymore," Caroline shook her head.

"Have a nice trip, Caroline. And don't worry. The girls are in safe hands," Valerie told Caroline who sighed knowing this was where she needed to go.

"Thank you for doing this. And I will see you soon. Probably really soon," Caroline said, turning on her heel and heading down the hall.

"I hope you find your lover unharmed," Valerie called and Caroline chose to ignore her although she hoped so too.

Exiting the school, Caroline had to accept that she no longer had anything stopping her from going to Heathrow and buying the first ticket to New Orleans. She slid behind the wheel of her car and then looked back at the building. She could go back. She could tell the girls that she changed her mind and she wasn't going anywhere.

 _Klaus, where are you?_ came unbidden into her mind and she slammed her door shut before turning the key in the ignition. This might be one of the biggest mistakes of her entire afterlife but she had to know what happened to Klaus. It had preyed on her mind the entire time she had been in New Orleans. Over and over again the same words. "No one has heard or seen from Klaus Mikaelson for three years." Every night she went to bed with those words in her head like a song on loop.

"Well, someone is going to hear from Klaus now," Caroline declared, revving the engine and taking off, out of the parking lot and heading toward the airport. _Next stop_ , _New Orleans_. _Ready or not_ , _Klaus_ , _here I come_.

 **Thank you for reading, faving, following and reviewing.**

 **We will see Caroline in the next chapter and what my version of New Orleans looks like in the three time-jump.**

 **Peace,**

 **Jessica**


	3. Chapter 3

**Hello, my lovely readers. Caroline is finally in New Orleans. Let's see how that goes. On with the show…**

Chapter 2: We're Not in Kansas Anymore

The drive to New Orleans was oddly quiet. Caroline had become used to the sound of two little voice chiming in her ears. Now, the silence made her ears ache. Thinking about turning the car around and returning to the airport became an obsession. She would check every ten minutes for a ramp that would allow her to turn around and head back to her girls. Instead, she continued to drive, toward him, she hoped.

When Caroline entered the border into New Orleans, she found the first parking lot, she could and dumped the rental car. Moving on foot would make her less traceable and she had a feeling that it might come in handy later. The streets of the city were quiet which was unusual. Not for the first time did she wish that she had asked Stefan to come with her. But she couldn't deal with him right now and he had his own Damon related problems. Nothing new.

Stefan would have had a plan. He always had a plan. Maybe the plan would nearly get them both killed but there would be a plan. Why couldn't she have thought this out before coming to this stupid town? she chided herself. Pulling out her phone, Caroline chewed on her bottom lip while scrolling through her list of contacts. When the smiling face of her former best friend/former boyfriend popped up, she slid her finger on his picture, debating with herself on the merits of bringing him into this and then re-pocketed her phone.

Caroline could do this on her own. She no longer needed her friends or anyone else to hold her hand. Straightening her shoulders, she strode forward and then stopped. Where was she going? The bar had been a joke. They obviously had no idea where Klaus was or could care less from the way the woman she had talked to acted. They were probably happy to get rid of the psychotic hybrid. If only Caroline felt the same way, she would be so much better off.

For a moment, Caroline could not think of a single place to begin with when she heard the faint sounds of a band playing. Music. Klaus loved music. He really loved jazz music, something that she was now kicking herself for not studying up on. How hard would it be anyway?

Speeding toward the sound, Caroline only stopped when she saw the end of a long train of people. Was this one of those famous New Orleans style funerals? she wondered. There was only one way to find out. And maybe one of these people could give her information. Someone in this city had to be human. Right? Falling into step at the back of the procession, Caroline bowed her head while searching through the crowd for just one familiar face.

The line suddenly stopped outside of a cemetery. Vampires were jockeying for position toward the front and Caroline tried to get a better look when a man came into sight on top of one of the mausoleums. "Hello! Thank you for gathering to celebrate the life of my daughter, Davina Claire. Davina was taken from us long before her time. And we gather here, in the newly rebuilt Lafayette cemetery, to remember her, and to remember that we will never again suffer the _tyranny_ of the _Mikaelsons_ , her murderers, in _this_ city."

"We will never forget," the crowd murmured and Caroline murmured with them, watching them, and the vampire who stood atop the mausoleum, watching them. One by one the crowd began to walk through the cemetery to lay flowers in front of the statue of a girl who looked younger than Caroline when she was turned. She wished that someone had given her a memo of this event because she had no flowers on her.

Moving backward, Caroline started to leave the cemetery, bumping into a few vampires, hoping she was not attracting the attention of the vampire who hated the Mikaelsons so much. "Where do you think you're going?" one vampire demanded. "We _all_ pay tribute to the witch. Get back in line!"

"I don't have anything to pay tribute with," Caroline protested. "I was going to go to a shop and buy some flowers."

"Why don't you pay tribute with your pretty, little head?" a voice called from behind Caroline and she turned to see a petite, red head strolling toward her with a sweet smile that made Caroline's blood run cold. "Oh, don't worry, love, I'm kidding. Wasn't I kidding?" she asked the other vampires who looked at each other before laughing with her.

"Don't worry about them. They're stupid," the older vampire said, rolling her eyes at the vampires who moved into the cemetery and away from her. "You're _new_? Yes?"

"Yes," Caroline replied. "I was looking for someone but I don't think he came to pay his respects."

"Oh, goody. A _game_. Shall I guess who it is you're looking for?" the vampire asked with a wide smile while she clapped her hands together. "Let's see. It's not Ed with the funny walk? No, you look like you have better taste than that. How about Troy? He's a doll. Literally! I made him into my own dolly. Sorry if it's him." The vampire let out a giggle as she began to circle around Caroline, making the younger vampire tense. "Oh, I think I've lost interest in this little game already. So why don't you just fess up?"

"I…" Caroline tried to think of something. Anything to tell her.

"Aurora," the voice from the top of the mausoleum called and the vampire's eyes widened before she let out a cry of delight. "Where are you?"

"Coming, my love," Aurora cried. "We'll have to chat again. Soon," she told Caroline before running off.

Feeling her heart pounding in her chest, Caroline hurried away from the cemetery and into the street. Nowhere seemed safe to be. She should go home. She should go home right now. That was when she turned a corner and saw Kol Mikaelson walking down the street with a bottle of whiskey in one hand and a bouquet of flowers in the other. Surely Kol would know where his brother was.

Caroline moved toward Kol and then stopped suddenly when a shorter man fell into step beside Kol. There was something about the man. Something dark and dangerous. The way that he seemed to take in everything around him although he was not a vampire. She could feel the power radiating off of him. "Vincent," Kol greeted him. "Our great _regent_ has time to pay tribute to my girl, how good of you?"

"You _knew_ I would come. I _always_ come. Every year," Vincent replied, his eyes darting to meet Kol's smirk before turning back to the street while Caroline moved into the shadow of an alleyway.

"Damn Marcel for making her death into a bloody spectacle for this whole bloody lot. What do they care for her? Most of them would have killed her, given half a chance," Kol spat out.

"True. But we must remember that he is our leader," Vincent replied. "I suggest we exercise caution at this time."

"I suggest we do with Marcel what we did with the rest of my bloody family. He's no better than Klaus. We should have seen that he would become a _bigger_ monster than my brother. After all, he is Klaus' child," Kol snarled, throwing his bottle, causing it to smash into the side of a building.

"Kol!" Vincent called as the Original vampire stalked forward.

"Go to bloody hell!" Kol roared at the gate of the cemetery before speeding off.

Vincent shook his head, his arm drooping with the flowers clutched in his fist. Turning, he looked into the shadows where Caroline stood, as if he could sense her, too, before he entered the cemetery grounds. This gave Caroline the opportunity to leave the alleyway, without worrying about who she might run into.

She had no idea where she was going but decided to just walk straight ahead. At some point she pulled out her phone and googled New Orleans. If she were to make it out of here alive, she would need to look like a tourist. Pulling up a map, she looked for sites she should see. Coming up with the French Quarter, she decided to go there. Almost everyone on the streets were tourists, milling about so no one took notice of Caroline, which suited her proposes.

Nothing seemed to stand out to her that would say, Klaus had anything to do with it, until she came to stand outside a large building. More like a fortress, really. When she saw the large, M's here and there, she remembered, once standing in Klaus' house, when she asked him to help her with a prom dress.

"Klaus, what's up with all of the M's?" she asked, holding up a large leather-bound book.

"Oh, that is a family seal, love," Klaus had said with a smirk as he came to stand behind her.

Caroline had turned around to see the dress he had picked up for her and all talk of family seals was long forgotten. Until now. Entering the gate of the compound which someone had left open, she traced one of the M's before entering the courtyard. She walked across it with caution. Inside, it was beautiful in a way. She was kind of in love with the old fountain. She could see herself sitting on the ledge while Klaus sketched her in the sunlight.

Taking another cautious step into the courtyard, Caroline wondered if there were ghosts here when she saw something flit before her eyes, along the balcony. Her first instinct was to flee. Her feet moved backward, propelling her toward the exit when a hand grasped her throat. "You are a little sneak, aren't you?" Aurora whispered into her ear.

"Aurora, _stop_. She's a guest here. Until she proves to be something else," the man from before leaned over the balcony with a friendly grin that reminded Caroline of Klaus for a moment.

"But I'm _bored_ , Marcel. You _said_ that I could have a new doll," Aurora yelled, stomping her foot.

"I know, I know. But I meant one from a store. You can't keep turning my guys into toys," Marcel said, hopping down from the balcony and crossing the courtyard. He stopped two feet from Caroline with a wide smile. "If she turns out to be trouble, you can do whatever you like with her. _Deal_?"

Aurora squealed with delight before running over to Marcel and kissing him. Turning, she stared at Caroline in a manner that made Caroline want to hurl. "Isn't he the sweetest king ever?"

"Very," Caroline replied drily.

"So. I'm sorry, I didn't catch your name," Marcel waited for Caroline to answer him.

"Caroline Forbes," Caroline figured that if she ran into Kol for some reason he would tell the king the truth anyway. So it made it easier, and safer, if she was honest.

"Caroline Forbes? Doesn't ring a bell," Marcel shook his head.

"I'm from Mystic Falls. You might have heard of it. The Mikaelsons terrorized my friends and then: poof. Off they went to make someone else's lives hell. I guess," Caroline trailed off but kept a look of anger on her face to show her distaste for the previous topic.

"And you're here why?" Aurora questioned her, taking a slow step toward her when Marcel caught her by the wrist, holding her back.

"I came…" Caroline knew she could not tell Marcel that she came to find Klaus. He would hand her over to Aurora.

"She came for Hope's birthday," a voice called from behind Caroline who turned her head to see Hayley entering the compound, coming to stand beside her.

"Ah, that's cute. But why would this girl, this vampire, come all the way here for the birthday of a child whose father she despises?" Marcel replied, looking from Hayley to Caroline.

Hayley smirked back at him. "That's true. Caroline does hate Klaus. A lot. Remember Tyler Lockwood?" Marcel nodded. "This is Tyler's girlfriend. Well, ex-girlfriend." Hayley looked to Caroline who nodded that they had not reconciled because you never knew what could happen in their lives. "And she recently became a mommy and we've been talking about being mommies of supernatural babies. And, lo and behold, we've become just the bestest of friends. Right, Caroline?" Hayley turned to Caroline, with her back to Marcel and Aurora, her lips spread in a painful looking smile.

"Yes!" Caroline beamed before walking over to Hayley and wrapping an arm around her shoulders. "One of my best friends is in this spell induced coma and I had to replace her with someone. Why not Hayley?" Laughing, Caroline waited for Marcel and Aurora's reaction. She half-expected for them to decide to try to kill her on the spot.

Marcel looked thoughtful and then smiled. "That makes as much sense as anything else that happens in our lives. Go on to Hope's party. Just remember to come back. I think we have a lot to talk about." The last part sounded a lot like an order to Caroline.

When they had walked out of the French Quarter, Hayley yelled, "Run!" at Caroline, who ran out of the compound with the hybrid hot on her heels. They only stopped just outside of a swampy area. "This is werewolf territory. Got it? So don't go wandering off without me, unless you want one hell of a bite that no can heal. No one who's alive right now anyway."

"Hayley, _why_ did you help me?" Caroline asked on their way toward a little cabin.

"Are you here because of Klaus?" Hayley asked, looking Caroline in the eye.

"Yes," Caroline replied without hesitation.

"Then that's why I'm helping you. You're going to help me bring them _all_ back," Hayley called over her shoulder, marching forward.

"Who is _all_ of them?" Caroline cried, hurrying to keep up in the muddy terrain.

"The Mikaelsons. Didn't anyone tell you people they're dead?" Hayley snapped, glancing back at Caroline with a look of bitterness, rage and heartache.

" _What_?" Caroline's heart began to hurt while she trailed after Hayley. This wasn't possible. Klaus couldn't be dead. It just wasn't Klaus-like. Faking his own death, yes, but really being dead. No way. She had to help Hayley get them back and she wasn't leaving until she did. She would have to call Valerie and let her know she might be a little longer than expected.

 **Thank you for reading, faving, following and reviewing.**

 **Answer to guest reviews:**

 **Guest: You're welcome! I really liked Valerie and was hoping they would keep her but they didn't for whatever reasons. However, she'll probably pop up in some of my fics from time to time. We will find out what happened to Alaric in either the next chapter or the one after that. I think. Thank you!**

 **Guest: You're so sweet! Thanks for the high compliment.**

 **Peace,**

 **Jessica**


	4. Chapter 4

**Hello, my lovely readers. We're going to get a little Klaroline reunion at the end of this chapter. Whoa! On with the show…**

Chapter 3: We Stick Together

Pacing. That's all Hayley seemed to know how to do once they entered the small cabin in the bayou. Caroline's eyes flicked back and forth while the hybrid moved back and forth across the little floor space they had while an older woman, Mary, stood by the door, peering out of it every once in a while. A little girl sat across from Caroline, holding onto a crayon and drawing on a large piece of paper.

"Mommy?" the little girl said eventually. Drawing Hayley, Mary and Caroline's attention to her. "Mommy, look what I made," the child cried happily, displaying her work.

Caroline watched Hayley's eyes light up for a second before her body tensed. "That's very nice, Hope, would you like to show Caroline what you made?" she asked, her eyes drifting in Caroline's direction.

Caroline's eyebrows rose when Hope turned to her with a wide-eyed stare. She got to her feet and moved around the table to stand beside Caroline. "See. This is you," the child said. Staring at the drawing, Caroline felt her breath hitch. She missed her daughters but looking at the drawing made her heart ache for this little girl's father. Klaus.

Taking the picture, Caroline smiled back at Hope. "That is great job. Thank you. When I go, I'll take it home with me and put on the fridge."

Hope's nose scrunched up and she looked at her mother before her eyes drifted back to Caroline. "You are home, silly," she whispered with a giggle and then she headed back to her side of the table.

Her body tensed and Caroline had a feeling she could not attach a name to it. "I don't see anyone," Mary told them. Ever since they had entered the cabin, Mary had been playing look-out in case Marcel sent someone to check up on the supposed birthday celebration. Honestly, this did not look like a celebration that Caroline had attended and she once had a birthday party in a graveyard.

 _Entering the cabin, Caroline followed Hayley. She was braced for anything, including an ambush. Yes, Hayley had helped her escape possible death at the hands on Klaus' enemies, but that did not mean she trusted her. Not in the slightest._

 _Something flashed forward at a rate faster than any human Caroline had ever encountered but slower than a vampire or wolf. "Mommy!" the something in question cried, flinging itself at Hayley._

" _Baby girl!" Hayley greeted the child who embraced her, holding her tightly. "Have you been good for Mary?"_

" _Yes, mommy," Hope Mikaelson replied as Hayley set her down and the child's attention refocused on Caroline. Caroline's heart began to beat a little faster while she examined the child with her long, reddish-blonde curls, so much like her father's, and her wide eyes that held a spark that read Klaus. "Hi!" the child said, waving at Caroline. "You're here. I said she'd be here. Didn't I, momma?"_

" _Yes. Yes, you did," Hayley nodded at her daughter who smirked before turning back to Caroline._

" _Come with me," Hope cried. She walked over and took Caroline by the hand. If anyone doubted that Hope was Klaus' daughter, all they would need to see was how she acted toward people and all doubt would evaporate. "This is Mary. She was Jack's grandma but Jack's gone. Now, she's just Mary. This is my room." Pointing at a small space in the back of the cabin with a blanket dividing it from the rest of the room, Hope pointed to a couch. "That's going to be where you stay. Later. Not right now. Right now, mommy sleeps there and worries about Uncle Elijah."_

" _Hope," Hayley called from the other side of the room. She had her arms folded over her chest and gave her daughter a warning look. "Let's try not to overwhelm her. Okay?"_

" _Okay," Hope replied cheerfully. Waving a small hand, Hope waited for Caroline to kneel down so they could speak quietly and on the same level. "I can see things but sometimes momma doesn't like it when I tell people stuff," she told Caroline, watching her expression carefully. Caroline stopped herself from shivering at the similarities between Hope and Klaus. She was like a mini-Klaus. And that might or might not be a good thing. Only time would tell._

" _Kiddo, why don't you sit down while I make us something to eat?" Hayley had asked._

" _Okay," Hope ran over to the table while Hayley stared at Caroline until the vampire moved into what could be called a kitchen if they had working electricity in the bayou._

" _She's a witch?" Caroline whispered to Hayley who nodded while taking things out of a cabinet._

" _Yup. Part witch, part wolf, part vampire. One percent a pain in my ass sometimes," Hayley said with a smile. Caroline smiled, too. She got it. Sometimes the girls worried her, especially when thy used their powers and she did not know what to do._

" _How long have Klaus and the others been… you know?" Caroline asked, taking a piece of bread that Hayley moved toward her._

" _Knives are to your right," Hayley said, gesturing toward a drawer to Caroline's right while she unscrewed a jar of peanut butter. "They've been gone for three years."_

" _Three years?" Caroline hissed and then glanced at Hope who had found a set of crayons and a coloring book to play with. "They've been gone for three years? Are you serious?"_

 _Hayley set the peanut butter down before turning to Caroline, with her hands on her hips. "Yes, Caroline. My family has been gone for three years. Hope's father hasn't seen her for three whole years. The man that I love has been wasting away in a coffin for three years. And I have been taking care of my daughter, by myself, for three years," the hybrid spat out. Turning back to the sandwiches, she sucked in a deep breath. "Do you like strawberry or grape jelly? We have both and it's all organic."_

 _Standing numbly in front of the counter, Caroline had no idea what to say when Hayley let out a sob. "Mommy, ate you okay?" Hope cried from the table._

 _Hayley brushed tears away. "Baby, mommy's fine. She's just a little tired." She smiled for her daughter and then looked at Caroline who took the jelly and began to spread it on the bread._

" _So how can I help?" Caroline asked the woman who she had hated for so long._

" _I don't know exactly. Hope has these visions of the future. Just little snippets, really. But it's better than nothing, right?" Hayley asked, wiping at her eyes with the back of her hand. "About a month ago, she started seeing you. We're not sure why or what role you paly yet, but we're pretty sure that you might be able to change things. I thought maybe you could get in contact with Bonnie and she could –"_

 _Holding up a hand, Caroline stopped her. "Bonnie, can't. She doesn't have her powers anymore," Caroline said with a frown._

" _What?" Hayley looked confused._

" _There was a thing where she became like a vampire hunter and it got really messy. When we got her back. She wasn't the same and she didn't have her magic anymore. And it wasn't for lack of trying," Caroline trailed off, watching Hayley deflate._

" _But Hope. She's one of the most powerful witches of all time. As far as we know." Hayley sliced a sandwich in half, placed it on a plate and then turned to face Caroline. "Are you thinking what I'm thinking?"_

" _That maybe Hope could help Bonnie tap into her magic. If there's any left," Caroline replied and Hayley nodded with a smile._

" _Yes. You know, we kind of make a good team," Hayley observed._

" _Maybe," Caroline retorted with a grin. She took the plate and walked over to Hope who was busily sketching away._

" _What are you drawing, Hope?" Caroline questioned the child, leaning over._

" _My brother," Hope said. "He's angry. And sad, too. He did some bad things," Hope said and Caroline's eyes widened while she looked down at what looked like the new king of New Orleans. "We need to help him, too."_

" _Okay," Caroline said, placing a hand on the child's shoulder. "We can try."_

"Maybe we should try making the cabin look more, I don't know, festive," Caroline called to Hayley who was rubbing at her eyelids.

"What?" Hayley looked confused.

"You told Marcel that we're throwing Hope a birthday party. What if he decides to swing by and see how the party is going?" Caroline watched the hybrid's eyes widen.

"Shit," Hayley muttered under her breath.

"Language, momma," Hope called to her mother, waving a crayon at her.

"I know," Hayley cried, she moved toward the kitchen. "There's got to be a cake mix if here, somewhere."

"Hey, Hope. What's your favorite shape in the whole world?" Caroline asked the child.

"The moon," Hope cried, clapping her hands.

Caroline nodded. "The moon. That's a good one. What about stars? Do you like them, too?"

"Yes!" Hope began to bounce around in her seat, her face lighting up.

"Great. Umm… Mary, do you have a pair of scissors?" Caroline asked the werewolf who turned to look at her with eyes that had seen too much.

"Yes. Try my nightstand, there in the corner," Mary pointed to a nightstand that had seen better days. Walking over to it, Caroline moved several objects around before finding a pair of scissors that needed sharpening but they would do, for now. "Do you mind if I borrow some paper?" Caroline asked Hope, who nodded, handing over several, large sheets of construction paper. "I used to make stuff for parties, all the time," she told the child while using her vampire speed to cut out a hundred tiny moons and stars.

"Whoa!" Hope leaned over to look at the shapes. "They're so pretty."

"What should we color them?" Caroline asked the child who pulled out her crayons.

"Blue. And purple. And red. And yellow. And orange. My daddy would love these," she said, holding up a red moon and a yellow crescent moonthat Hope made.

"He would," Caroline nodded while she continued to color them. Soon they had tiny moons and stars to decorate the cabin with. "Got any glue?"

"No," Hayley shook her head while she pulled out a sack. "Look, I found powdered milk. Not as good as the regular kind, but it works. Oh, and we do have string. We stopped having glue is the cabin after someone glued everyone's shoes to the floor." She gave Hope a look while the child blushed while a grin formed. "Sometimes she takes after her uncle Kol."

"I want to hang the moons," Hope sang, getting up and dancing in a circle.

Caroline found the string in the nightstand and used the tip of a sharp knife to make holes before lacing the moons and stars through. She held them up for the little girl's inspection who jumped up and down. "Okay. Now, we just need to hang these bad boys." She grabbed a chair and tied the string on a beam hanging above their heads.

"And we have candles," Hayley announced. "Let's try not to burn this place to the ground," she said.

"Yes, momma," Hope called while she stared up at the moons. "Let's visit daddy and show him the moons," Hope told Caroline seriously. Caroline knew that was impossible but she watched Hope lay down on the floor and wave for Caroline to join her. Lying down on her back, Caroline looked at the child who smiled at her, holding a finger to her lips, she closed her eyes and turned her face to the ceiling. Doing the same, Caroline felt a small hand take hold of hers.

They drifted farther and farther. Caroline felt sleepy, her body relaxing into the rough wood planks beneath her back. What she would not do for a pillow. Suddenly Caroline woke up. She shook her head, feeling disoriented while she took in her bearings. "Where am I?" she asked, turning around in an unfamiliar room.

"You're just where you should be, love," a familiar voice called from behind her and Caroline whirled around to see Klaus standing mere feet from her. He smirked back at her with that smug expression that made most people quake in their boots. But Caroline Forbes was not most people. "You look stunning, doesn't she, my littlest wolf?"

Looking down, Caroline took in the sight of Hope in a blue party dress. "She does," she told him, pressing his hand to her cheek with a wide smile. "I missed you, daddy."

"I miss you every day, love," Klaus replied, picking the child up and smiling down at her.

Caroline felt her eyes fill with tears. "Where are we?" she asked the father and daughter.

"You are in a cabin with my daughter, if I'm not mistaken," Klaus replied, looking to Hope who nodded, her head bobbing up and down. "And I am, well, in another place." He shook his head. For a moment, Caroline saw the old Klaus, the one who did more harm than good but that disappeared when Hope took him by the chin, forcing him to look her in the eye.

"It's my birthday," Hope told him and Caroline suppressed a laugh.

"Would I kill you on your birthday?" Klaus' voice echoed through the years, his head cocking to the side while Caroline stared back, a mix of defiance and uncertainty.

"Your dad loves birthdays," Caroline blurted out. She wondered if it was possible to blush when you were in… whatever the heck this place was.

Klaus let out a laugh. "You remember that after all this time?"

"Yeah. It looks like I do," Caroline replied, trying not to smile and being unable to restrain herself.

"Well, what shall we do to entertain ourselves while we're here?" Klaus questioned the females.

Hope began to bounce on his hip. "We could dance. I love to dance."

"Our birthday girl demands that we dance. Shall we?" Klaus held out a hand to Caroline who took a step forward and then another, surer step toward him. When they were close enough, Caroline placed her hand in Klaus' and her free hand in Hope's and then began to move in slow circles to the strains of an invisible orchestra while Klaus and Caroline hummed a song that Hope did not seem to know, but, soon, she too, was humming with them.

"Hope!" a voice called. "Honey, I'm taking the cake outside to cook. You want to come with me?" the voice continued. "Hope?"

Klaus looked at Caroline and then at Hope. "It looks like our short time together is over. Until we meet again." Kissing his daughter on the cheek, Klaus smiled. "I love you," he told her.

"I love you, too, daddy," Hope replied, hugging him before he set her down.

Caroline felt her heart break when she watched the two.

When Caroline noticed that it was her turn to say good-bye to Klaus, she looked up at him, not knowing what to say. "We're going to find you. Soon," she told him, reaching out and squeezing his shoulder.

"I know you shall," Klaus told Caroline, placing his hand over hers and squeezing it as they stared into each other's eyes, saying more than most people do in a lifetime. On impulse, she leaned over and pressed her lips to his cheek. "You'll be my last," she whispered into his ear. Caroline watched a smile appear on Klaus' face just as she sat bolt upright in the cabin.

"Hey, you want to come outside? We're going to cook Hope's cake over a bonfire. There is a good chance that I'll have to bake another one and I might set my hair on fire," Hayley joked.

Caroline shook her head. "I'll be there in a minute," she assured the hybrid before lying back down and looking at the tiny moons and stars with a wide smile.

 **Thank you for reading, faving, following and reviewing.**

 **For anyone who is still curious about what happened to Ric, I am almost positive that we'll find out next week.**

 **Peace,**

 **Jessica**


	5. Chapter 5

**Hello, my lovely readers. Here is an all new chapter where we see another Original. Any guesses who? On with the show…**

Chapter 4: Nowhere to Run

Laughing, Caroline clapped her hands when Hope Mikaelson lit up the five candles on her birthday cake just by looking at them. It reminded her of a time when things were easier and all of her friends were together when Bonnie lit the candle of her eighteenth birthday cake. Of course, that night had led to her getting bitten and a surprise visit from the birthday girl's father which led to her standing here, now, clapping for the child.

"Now it's time to blow them out," Hayley coaxed, standing close to her daughter who closed her eyes and blew, her cheeks puffing with the effort. "Good girl."

"Hey, I hope I'm not _too_ late," a voice called and Caroline tensed when Marcel Gerard entered the doorway. "I brought my sister a present," he told them with a wide smile.

"Marcel!" Hope cried, jumping to her feet and running to the door before Hayley, Caroline or Mary could stop her. She ran past the doorway and into his arms. "You're _here_. I didn't know if you'd come," she whispered to him. Caroline and Hayley exchanged a look while Mary stood by, her hand moving toward a rifle.

"You know there's nowhere else I would rather be," Marcel told the child who wrapped her arms around his neck, grinning happily. His eyes moved to Mary and she stopped trying to reach for the gun, "Now, we wouldn't want any kind of violence on such a special occasion, would we?" he inquired, setting Hope down.

"No, we _wouldn't_ ," Hayley answered for everyone in the room while Caroline stood, waiting to see if this would end with a fight. "Would you like a piece of cake? Hope just blew out the candles." The hybrid's body was tense while Marcel seemed too relaxed.

"I would _love_ a piece of cake," Marcel said while Hayley walked over to the kitchen and withdrew a meat cleaver.

"Sorry. None of the other knives are clean," Hayley said with a tight smile. Marcel shrugged and took a seat at the small table they ate at while Hope sat down across from him.

Caroline walked by Hayley, placing a hand on her back for a second but that was enough to send into the hybrid's mind an image of slicing into Marcel's neck with the meat cleaver and letting out a bone-chilling howl of rage. Taking a step back, Caroline looked at Marcel who looked up at her. "Everything alright there, Caroline?" he asked with a look of amusement.

"Everything is great. I'm looking forward to getting a piece of that cake," Caroline told him with a wide, innocent smile. If she could fool Klaus Mikaelson, then she could fool his son. She went into the kitchen and retrieved three more plates and forks. Setting the table, Caroline sat down. "Hayley, I can slice it," she told the hybrid, taking the cleaver away. Her hand had to tug the cleaver before Hayley let go, eyeing Marcel's carotid artery. "Mary, would you like a slice?" Caroline asked with her perfect hostess tone.

Mary shook her head. "Thanks, but no thanks, Caroline, I don't abide his _kind_ in my house," she informed the baby vampire who tried not to scream.

"I think you should be thanking me for _sparing_ you," Marcel told Mary, not bothering to look back at her. "But I'm not here to talk politics. I'm here for my sister. Here, Hope. This is for you," he pulled out a present from his pants pocket and Hope eagerly took it.

"What is it?" Hayley asked him warily, not touching her slice of birthday cake when Hope unwrapped the gift and smiled. "Oh, no!" she growled, her hand moved across the table, about to snatch the blade away from her daughter when Hope held up a hand and Hayley fell back into her chair. "Hope, you do _not_ use magic on your mother!"

Hope glanced from her mother to Marcel. He sat, smiling as the child examined the blade. "This is our father's," she stated while Marcel nodded. "I was hoping you could let daddy out for my birthday." Her eyes bore into Marcel's.

"Not this year, princess. Maybe _next_ year," Marcel told her.

Hope's eyes moved back to the blade. She slid her fingers over the engraved handle. "I _miss_ him," she whispered and Caroline thought the girl was talking to herself. When Hope looked up at her, she wondered what the child was thinking when she turned her focus back to Marcel. "Thank you for my present," Hope said with a smile.

"You're quite welcome," Marcel told her. Getting up, he stretched and then smiled down at Hayley. "It's been nice, but I should be going." Hayley seemed happy to hear this until he added. "Caroline."

Caroline's eyes flicked to Marcel. "Yes?" She felt her stomach twist. This is where something unpleasant happened, she knew it in her gut.

"It's time to get back to the compound," he told her, holding out a hand.

Caroline's eyes widened. "No. She's staying _here_ , with _us_!" Hayley protested, getting to her feet.

"Actually, she's staying in the _city_ , with _me_ , until I've decided that she's not a problem," Marcel announced. "When I've made up my mind, _then_ she can come back."

Hayley's jaw tightened when Caroline got to her feet. "Don't worry, Hayley. I'll be back," Caroline told the hybrid, moving to hug her. Holding on to her former sworn enemy, Caroline closed her eyes and let Hayley into her mind. In her head, she showed Hayley a quick flash of Valerie and her daughters to assure the other woman that she had just as much to lose if she did not find a way out.

Walking away, Caroline stooped to hug Hope. Hope's mind reflected back at her an image of Klaus. "I'll find him for you," Caroline promised the child silently before letting going. She moved past Marcel and out the door. Marcel seemed pleased on their quiet hike back through the bayou.

"You're going to enjoy the compound much more than you would enjoy staying out here in the swamp," Marcel told Caroline when they got inside his car. Caroline nodded. "You like shopping? There's a ton of shops in the Quarter with every kind of trinket you can bring back to your friends or family. You got family, Caroline? A husband? Kids?"

Caroline felt her heart hitch when he asked her about whether she had a husband. "No," she replied. "I don't have anyone," she told him. This would be her first lie but he did not need to know about her kids. And he did not need to know about Ric.

"Caroline, I'm _so_ sorry," Ric said, gasping in pain while the life drained out of him.

Caroline shook her head. She felt furious at herself for having been weak and calling him because she was scared she would never get to talk to him or the kids again. "No, _I'm_ sorry, Ric. It was _my_ fight. Please, _stay_ with me and the girls. We _need_ you," she whispered while Ric choked on his own blood. "Don't go. Please, don't go!" she begged.

"I love you, Caroline," Ric told her with a smile.

"I love you, too," Caroline replied, stroking his cheek and kissing his forehead.

Ric let out a laugh. "No, no, you don't. It's nice to hear but I know you don't."

"I would have come home. I would have married _you_ ," Caroline said, nodding emphatically as Ric let out another laugh that looked painful as he grimaced. "From this day forward, I, Caroline Forbes, take you, Alaric Saltzman, to be my husband. In sickness and in health. From this day, until my last."

Ric let out a cough, looking down at his chest wound before he composed himself. "I, Alaric Saltzman, take you, Caroline Forbes, to be my wife, to love and to cherish, from this day forward, until I close my eyes for the last time," he said as his eyes flitted open and closed.

"You're improvising," Caroline whispered to him with a laugh. Ric nodded weakly. "Yeah. Can't remember exactly how it goes…" His eyes began to close again and Caroline shook her head frantically.

"No. No! Ric! _Please_! Don't leave me and the girls! Ric, please, Ric!" Caroline wailed. Ripping her wrist open, she pressed the bloody gash to his lips but he wouldn't drink and she began to sob, falling backward into Stefan's arms. "He's gone. He's _gone_ , Stefan!"

"I know," Stefan said, rocking her back and forth while she sobbed, looking at her dead husband. "Come on. We've got to go!" He tried to pull her to her feet, but Caroline pushed him away. "Caroline, come on. We have to _go_ before she wakes up. Caroline!" Stefan tried to yank Caroline away from Alaric's body but she shoved him away, again.

"NO!" Caroline shouted. "Take her _away_! I don't ever want to see her again!" she screamed, staring at Bonnie's limp body. "She _killed_ him!" She yelled at Stefan. The needle which Stefan had used on Bonnie still stuck out of her thigh. Caroline wanted to hurt her friend like she was hurting in that moment. She knew it wasn't Bonnie and that the real Bonnie was in there, under the surface, but she wanted to lash out at this one. And if Stefan didn't get the hell out there, she might.

"Okay. I'll take her somewhere else. _What_ are you going to do?" Stefan asked.

"I'm going to bury Alaric," Caroline muttered under her breath. "Just go before she wakes up and tries to kill you, _too_. GO!" she ordered Stefan who looked hurt. Turning her head on him, Caroline looked at the dead man who just wanted to make her life like she wanted it to be when she was human. She knew what Klaus would say about small towns and small town boys and nice, human lives, but he wasn't there. Part of her wished he was to help her clean up yet another mess.

Marcel stopped in front of the compound and they got out. A vampire came out and took his car keys. Caroline shook her head. Of course, the king of this city would have a valet service. Aurora came bouncing into the courtyard as they approached. "My dolly is back," she cried happily. Coming over to Caroline, she brushed her hair behind her ears. "Up or down?" she asked no one in particular.

"Aurora, she's _not_ yours to play with," Marcel said, wagging a finger at Aurora who rolled her eyes.

"Fine. So _what_ can I play with?" she inquired.

"Yourself!" Kol Mikaelson answered, coming down the stairs with a bottle of bourbon and an air of boredom until he saw Caroline and frowned. "Am I in a nightmare or is that Caroline bloody Forbes?"

"It's Caroline," Marcel told the youngest Mikaelson brother.

Kol smirked at her. "And to what do we owe the pleasure of one of Mystic Falls' heroes coming to our humble city?"

"Hayley," Caroline told him. "She called me and I came to wish your niece a happy birthday," she told Kol who laughed.

"Oh, that is _so_ ironic. I heard that Nik bit you on your birthday and then gave you a little trinket to show his affections," Kol shook his head, still laughing.

"So Klaus had a thing for _you_?" Marcel inquired, watching Caroline.

Caroline nodded. "Yeah, he did which I did _not_ return. I don't take gifts from men who try to kill everyone I care about."

"Then remind me not to get you anything," Marcel joked when Aurora scowled at him. "Well, I have to go. But don't worry, I'll be _back_ and we can chat some more. Aurora," he called, holding out an arm which the red head grabbed and they left the compound.

Kol set the bottle down before flashing in front of Caroline. "What are you _really_ doing in New Orleans? I will give you to the count of two to tell me before I compel it out of you and then rip your head off and use it as a rather large baseball."

"I'm here to talk to Klaus but it looks like that's _not_ going to happen anytime soon," Caroline snapped at him. If he was going to kill her, then there was nothing she could do to stop him.

Kol took a step back. "Why?"

"Because… I don't really know why," Caroline told him honestly. "I think I miss him."

Smiling, Kol turned back and grabbed his bottle of bourbon. "To us," he held the bottle upward. "And to those that we never see again until sweet death unites us all." He began to chug the contents before leaving Caroline alone and with more questions than answers.

Caroline had no idea what to do from there. She hadn't been shown which room she would be staying in, so she thought she would go inside and pick one at random. Or pick one that did not look like someone else was using it. With Marcel's people littering the grounds, who knew who slept in which room. Walking up the stairs, Caroline peered inside various rooms before she stopped in one. Her eyes scanned the room.

Inside the empty room, there stood an easel, with an unfinished painting. Jars of long dried paint stood, waiting for the artist in residence to return to his work. A paint brush sat in stagnant water that should have been changed, years ago. The bed spread and sheets lie, shoved to the side, like the person who had once occupied the bed had risen quickly and not bothered to return. Papers lay on the desk. A book, open, not to be finished.

Sucking in a deep breath, Caroline walked over to the bed and pressed her nose to the pillow. Breathing in deeply, she inhaled dust that made her sneeze but she caught the faintest whiff of him: Klaus. This was his bed. These were _his_ things. Lying down on the bed, Caroline curled up where he had lain three years ago, reaching for his phantom shape, feeling tears pooling in her eyes. Feeling a piece of paper, Caroline reopened her eyes to find the bottle of bourbon, Kol had been drinking on the nightstand, and a letter beside her.

It read:

Dearest Caroline,

Do not worry for me if you come. My family will find a way out of this mess we've made for ourselves. Do be wary of everyone. And do not, under any circumstances, get yourself killed over the likes of me. Go home. Be safe and know that when I am ready, I will seek you out, wherever you are.

Fondly,

Klaus

"Not a chance," Caroline snorted. Setting the letter down, she picked up a newer looking note that had been laid under the letter.

The note read:

What you seek is closer than you think. The walls have ears, darling. Burn me.

Getting to her feet, Caroline took the note, shoving it deep down in her jeans, pocket. She would burn it when she went downstairs. Right now, she wondered about this riddle about what she sought being close by. "Klaus?" she whispered to the room. No one replied. Shaking her head, Caroline's ears perked up at the sound of a scream from the courtyard. She ran to the balcony, staring in horror as a vampire took its daylight ring off and began to burn in the rays of the sun. Two more followed the first. Kol turned from where he sat on the fountain with a smile. He held up a glass of champagne and took a sip before getting to his feet and walking out of the compound.

"Trust no one," Caroline whispered to herself. Tucking her hair behind her ear and straining her ears, she heard no one on the compound's grounds. She hesitated before she began to search the grounds, using her enhanced speed. Finding a door to a cellar, she crept down, paying attention to any noise above ground. The one thing she needed was to be stuck down here, for however long Marcel or Aurora deemed fit. Yes, there would be plenty of wine to drink but no blood so she would desiccate pretty quickly.

In the farthest part of the cellar, Caroline saw a casket. Yes, she had heard about these caskets with the Mikaelson crest. It could contain any member of the family but Caroline hoped it contained one particular member. If not, she would have to keep looking. Opening the lid, Caroline let out a disappointed sigh. "Rebekah," she said, examining the grey countenance of the Original vampire.

Rebekah Mikaelson had never been Caroline's favorite Original vampire, but she knew that Rebekah loved her family, and if anyone would help her get Klaus back, it would be Rebekah. _Trust_ _no_ _one_ echoed in her head even as her hand wrapped around the silver dagger and yanked it out.

For a moment, nothing happened and Caroline feared she had removed the dagger in the wrong manner or that there was more to what happened to Rebekah than a simple daggering. Then Rebekah sat up, making Caroline jump back. Rotating her head, Rebekah sighed. "Ah, that felt like a much longer nap than usual," she murmured to herself with a smile.

Caroline felt her stomach sink when she noticed that something was off about Rebekah, something she could not put her finger on. Then she noticed the mark on Rebekah's arm. That did not look like a good sign. "Rebekah?" she called, hesitantly.

Rebekah turned to Caroline with a wide grin before leaping from the casket. "Caroline, come to torment poor Niklaus some more? Oh, Klaus, you're such a rotten man. I _can't_! Oh, dear me, I am _morally_ _superior_ to you!" Rebekah placed a hand to her forehead as if she would faint. "But I can spread my pretty legs for you so long as you leave me be. How did it feel, Caroline, to be tarnished by the _foul_ , _dirty_ paws of my _bastard_ brother?" she snarled, edging closer.

Caroline backed away, dagger, clenched in her fist. "Rebekah, we _need_ to find Klaus," she tried when Rebekah let out a bitter laugh.

"It's _too_ late. The bastard is _gone_. As you will be, _too_ , soon enough, when Marcel catches on to what a _conniving_ , little _slut_ you truly are. You and Hayley should join in a competition to see which one of you can do more _damage_ to the men in my family."

"Rebekah, you're _not_ yourself," Caroline tried when Rebekah grinned.

"I'm more myself than I have been for centuries," Rebekah retorted harshly. "Give me _that_ ," she demanded of Caroline.

" _This_?" Caroline held up the dagger and then stabbed the hand that Rebekah thrust forward. Running, Caroline made it to the cellar door when Rebekah grabbed her from behind.

"You're going to pay for that, love," she hissed, fangs tearing into Caroline's carotid. Screaming, Caroline tried to free herself when Rebekah jerked the dagger from her palm.

"No wonder Nik likes you, you taste like bloody sunshine," Rebekah said calmly. She snapped Caroline's neck and flung her back down the stairs, stepping outside, she closed the cellar door and locked it behind her.

 **Now, we know some details of Ric's fate but there will be more flashbacks to come.**

 **Thank you for reading, faving, following and reviewing.**

 **Guest: Thank you!**

 **Peace,**

 **Jessica**


	6. Chapter 6

**Hello, my lovely readers. We've got some guest appearances, some Baroline, some more flashbacks and KLAROLINE!** **J** **On with the show…**

Chapter 5: Finders, Keepers

Banging on the reinforced door, Caroline growled under her breath. She had screwed up. She had screwed up really, _really_ badly. What was wrong with Rebekah and would she come back and kill Caroline just for fun? Would anyone help her? Would Marcel find out what happened to her and leave here or, worse yet, punish her for letting Rebekah out? Kicking the door, again, Caroline sighed. She may never leave this cellar.

Just as she turned to walk away from the cellar door, it opened, revealing a face that made her want to scream. Bonnie stood in front of the door. "Hi, Caroline," she greeted her friend, or used to be friend.

"Bonnie," Caroline replied, feeling her body instinctively tense up. If Bonnie wanted a fight, they would fight but it wouldn't be as one sided as the last time.

 _"_ _She's here," Stefan whispered, his back pressed to a wall of a church in Rome. They thought they were one step ahead of the huntress. However, it looked like Bonnie had found them anyway. Damn her new supernatural talents._

 _Caroline looked at Alaric who stood beside her, armed with a tranq gun. The objective was to knock her out, not to kill her. Bonnie was still in there somewhere and there was no way that Caroline would kill her or say that it was okay to kill her. No, they would fight. But no one had to die. Not yet, and, hopefully, not ever._

 _"_ _Come out, come out, wherever you are, Caroline. I can feel you. I know you're there, and Stefan, too. I'm going to kill you and make him watch. Then, I'm going to kill him, slowly. After that, who knows, maybe I'll go down to New Orleans and check up on Klaus. Bet he'd like in on this action. And after I tell him how I hunted you down and killed you in the streets, like the animal you really are, oh, will he be pissed. Now, that will be a great fight," Bonnie taunted Caroline._

 _Caroline couldn't stop herself, she came around the corner faster than Stefan or Alaric could move, throwing them off their game. "You stay away from him!" Caroline snarled, whipped out a pair of manacles and strode toward Bonnie._

 _"_ _Ooo… scary. Are you going to chain me up like we do with everyone else who goes cray in our little group, Caroline?" Bonnie asked, holding on to her weapon of choice, a carved stake. "'Cause that always works out so well. Oh, wait, no, no, someone usually gets killed, or almost killed because the plan is almost always a disaster. And, you, Care, you've never been the smart one in the group, so don't strain yourself thinking you're going to defeat me."_

 _Caroline's jaw set while her friend insulted her. It had been the same way with Elena when she flipped her switch, saying anything to get a rise out of Caroline. And when Caroline had flipped hers, she did, and said anything to hurt everyone she loved. Maybe humans had an off switch, too. If she could just get to Bonnie's human side. "Bonnie, what would Jeremy say if he saw you like this? Huh?"_

 _Bonnie scoffed. "Jeremy? You think he'd care if I killed some vamps? He'd probably pat me on the back and tell me 'Good job, Bon.'" Bonnie let out a mirthless laugh, her eyes glittering with malicious intent._

 _"_ _You helped him remember to control himself so he wouldn't kill his sister, Elena, remember Elena? She was a vampire, just like me, and you loved her like a sister. You love me like a sister. We're family, Bonnie, you wouldn't hurt me before you were given this new life, you won't hurt me now. Let me go back to my girls, Bonnie. Please." Caroline studied Bonnie's face, taking a slow, cautious step toward her friend who stepped closer to her._

 _"_ _You're right, Caroline. You are my sister. And I do love you like you're my family." Bonnie nodded, moving closer to Caroline, opening her arms for a hug, her eyes shining with happy tears._

 _Caroline nodded, feeling herself smiling in return. She didn't think it would work. That that speech would be enough but maybe she had hit a nerve. "I missed you so much," Caroline cried when she wrapped her arms around her friend._

 _"_ _I missed you, too, Caroline," Bonnie replied. "And one day you will thank me for releasing you from this monstrous existence that Katherine forced on you."_

 _"_ _Get away from her!" Stefan shouted and Caroline felt herself being spun around so that her body now faced Stefan whose eyes were wide with fear while Bonnie placed the stake over her ponding heart._

 _"_ _Bonnie, no, please, don't do this!" Caroline screamed at her best friend._

 _"_ _I have to, Care, it's the only way," Bonnie replied and Caroline shook her head in disbelief while Bonnie started to shove the stake through her chest._

 _"_ _Stop! Now!" Alaric yelled, appearing from behind Stefan and shooting a dart at Bonnie who looked down at the dart, sticking out of her arm._

 _"_ _That hurt, Ric," Bonnie growled, yanking the dart out with two fingers before she fell to the ground when Stefan came running at them, sending Caroline and Bonnie tumbling to the pavement. Caroline rolled away as Bonnie and Stefan jumped to their feet. Bonnie yanked out a gun and shot Stefan in the chest._

 _"_ _Wooden bullets," Stefan gasped, sinking to his knees. Caroline shot to her feet, running to Stefan when Bonnie came striding forward and shot Stefan again in the chest._

 _"_ _No!" Caroline screamed, slamming into Bonnie, causing them to roll. She moved away from Bonnie, crouching, waiting for Bonnie to make a move. Bonnie sat up, looking slightly dazed as the tranq dart's contents began to take effect. She lifted the gun to shoot at Caroline who moved out of the way easily. "Sorry, Bon. Looks like you'll have to kill me another day," she said with a triumphant grin when she hear a grunt and turned to see Alaric holding his chest. And then everything happened so rapidly that she lost track of the preceding days. All she knew was that she did not ever want to see her friend again._

"Caroline?" Bonnie said, quietly, her eyes holding a sadness that they never held before. The guilt that Caroline hoped that Bonnie carried with her was apparent but Caroline could not stop herself from wishing that she would just disappear. "Are you… Are you _okay_?" Bonnie asked her.

"Of course she's okay," Damon quipped, stepping into view. "Look at her. She probably met up with Klaus and now she's _better_ than okay. Right?" The older vampire smirked at Caroline who felt shocked to see him standing there.

"What? How? How are you even here?" Caroline asked Damon who shrugged.

"Flipped my switch again, 'cause life is a downer when your bestie is trying to kill you and your other bestie runs off somewhere and your brother is licking his wounds after a certain blonde breaks his heart," Damon pointed at Caroline. "But then I got a little surprise when I was down in Brazil munching on some tourists. Any _guesses_ as to what that might be?" he inquired with a wide smile.

Caroline felt confused when someone appeared from around a corner. "Elena!" she yelled. "Oh, my God! You're _back_!"

"I'm back," the brunette said with a laugh.

"But what are you doing _here_? In New Orleans. This is like the last place on earth that you should be with Klaus _here_ ," Caroline whispered. She didn't want to tell her friends that Klaus was gone and she did not know why. It just didn't feel like the right time.

"It's okay. No one can sense my presence. Valerie spelled me before we got here," Elena explained, tucking her hair behind her ear.

"Really? Valerie?" Caroline folded her arms over her chest.

"Yeah. She got a weird message through the witchy woo-woo hotline from our old not-a-pal, Hayley, who said you were down a well and needed back-up ASAP. Next thing we know, Valerie's on our doorstep with two little people in tow, telling Stefan she thought something happened to you, and here we are." Damon explained with a smug smirk in place. "So where is Papa Hybrid anyway? I want to ask him what is up with not having him jumping off a rooftop and threatening to kill me with one of those little umbrellas you put in a drink? That's the kind of greeting I expect from his royal pain in the ass."

"He's preoccupied at the moment. Rebekah's gone a little loopier than usual and Kol's back and there are a lot of enemies, all over the place. You know, you should probably get back to Mystic Falls. Stefan's probably overwhelmed with my girls. And I told Valerie I would be back soon but Elena's so good with kids so it wouldn't be a big deal if you guys helped out and thank you so much. It's been great seeing you. You know, I bet there is a plane leaving right now." Caroline looked down at her cell which was working again.

Damon traded looks with Bonnie and Elena. "What's your rush, Blondie? Want Klaus' attention all to yourself?" he asked with a chuckle.

Rolling her eyes, Caroline placed her hands on her hips. "Look, Damon, this is _not_ a joke. You and Elena need to _go_. Like yesterday."

"Caroline, is there something _wrong_. We can help," Elena told her, placing a hand on her arm.

Caroline forced a cheerful laugh. "Are you kidding? Klaus has got me sipping champagne for breakfast and we're partying most of the time when we're not trying to track down Rebekah and Kol's actually not so bad once you get to know him. Now, _don't_ worry about me. I'm _fine_. Go. Be happy. Don't get married or go taking the cure and making babies without telling me first though. I want to help plan the wedding." Hugging Elena and Damon, she waved them off, expecting Bonnie to go with them.

"Bonnie?" Elena called when they reached the gate, where, thankfully, no one else stood, waiting for them.

"I'm staying in case Care and Klaus need help with Rebekah. It's the least I can do," Bonnie told Elena who traded a long look with Damon who frowned, folding his arms over his chest.

"We're fine. Thanks for the offer," Caroline snapped, giving Bonnie a much lighter shove toward the gate than she wanted to.

"No. I'm _staying_ , Caroline. We've got stuff to work out." Bonnie shook her head, refusing to budge an inch while Caroline's eyes narrowed.

Damon opened his mouth to protest when Elena grabbed him by the arm. "They need time," Elena whispered, looking at her two friends and then at her boyfriend. Damon continued to frown but relented, hugging Bonnie good-bye. "Don't kill each other," Elena ordered them.

"We won't," Bonnie replied with a good-natured smile and then turned to Caroline when the others were gone. "Caroline?" she cried but Caroline had already jumped over the balcony and was on the way back to her room. She had no idea if Bonnie was a hunter, a witch, or something else, now, and she didn't really care. Plopping down on Klaus' bed, she held her head in her hands, feeling tears pooling in her eyes.

If Caroline were honest with herself she would admit that she felt angry with herself for Alaric's death because if she had not moved when she did, Bonnie would not have shot him. It was her fault, too. And although she did not love Ric like he deserved to be loved, she cared about him a great deal and would have made a good life with him and the girls. The dream had died when he did. Now, she was a widow and looking at Bonnie reminded her over and over again of every stupid mistake she had made to cause his death.

Staring at the wall across from her, Caroline felt the tears continue to run down her cheeks when she noticed that there was something off about the wall. The bricks looked newer, like someone had put them up, not that long ago, or not nearly as long ago as the rest of the walls. Caroline's thoughts were interrupted when she heard a cry from the courtyard. "Another dolly?" Aurora cried.

Groaning, Caroline raced to the balcony and peered over the side to see Aurora with her hand around Bonnie's throat. "Who in the hell are _you_?" Marcel demanded, watching Bonnie. "Did Vincent send you because I do not appreciate witches coming into my home and just walking around, sticking their noses into whatever they please."

" _Wait_! She's a friend of mine," Caroline called to Marcel, leaning over the balcony and watching his reaction. She hoped this did not come down to a fight.

"A friend of _yours_?" Marcel looked down at Bonnie who glared back up at him when Aurora dropped her to the ground. "What's she doing _here_? I thought you were here for Hope? So why would you need a witch to come to you?" Marcel folded his arms over his chest with a look that made Caroline feel trapped.

"Marcel!" one of the baby vampires who watched the gates came racing in. "There's trouble down by The Cauldron. Report of a psycho, blonde vamp, tearing through vampires and witches, demanding to speak with the king. She's going to piss Vincent off and he's going blame us!"

"Screw Vincent and I could give a damn less who the hell he blames. She's not one of my guys so he can deal with her however he wants to," Marcel snapped with a roll of his eyes.

"It's Rebekah Mikaelson, sir," another suit wearing vamp shouted, running into the compound. "She's out and killed two of my people!"

"Shit!" Marcel groaned before looking up at Caroline. His eyes narrowed. "You know anything about how Rebekah got out, Caroline?"

Caroline opened her mouth to answer when Bonnie spoke up. "She must have gotten sick of dealing with you in charge, and, you know Rebekah, she's got a will of her own."

Marcel sneered down at her. "What would you know about Rebekah?" he snapped at her.

"Wouldn't you like to know?" Bonnie snapped back, getting to her feet. "And I'm _not_ your dolly," she yelled at Aurora. "I am Reina Cruz's replacement. So if I were the two of you, I would not mess with me, king or not!" she snarled before grabbing Aurora and tossing her across the courtyard like she was a feather pillow. "Point made," she said before turning and walking up the steps to stand beside Caroline.

Marcel pointed at the two of them. "When I get back, you two have a _lot_ to explain to me. And don't think that I don't have a few tricks up my own sleeve," he warned them. They watched him walk away while Aurora glared at Bonnie and then strode off.

"I have to say that I'm _not_ thrilled that you're still a huntress, but I guess it's better to have you on my side," Caroline told Bonnie, avoiding eye contact.

Bonnie leaned against the balcony, looking around herself. "Yeah. I guess you're right. I wish I were still a witch, but, so far, we can't find a way to turn me back and I have a little too much time on my hands since Enzo went missing."

"I wonder where he ran off to," Caroline mused.

"I don't know," Bonnie replied. Caroline looked at Bonnie. She could tell that Bonnie felt miserable as she stood there, trying not to cry about her boyfriend.

"He'll show up. He probably just needed a break from all of the crazy," Caroline offered.

Turning to look back at Caroline, Bonnie's eyebrows rose. "Speaking of missing boyfriends, if Marcel is running this city, where is Klaus?" she asked, looking around.

"That's what I've been trying to find out since I got here," Caroline replied, feeling happy that they could actually talk like this.

" _Really_? You mean someone got the best of the mighty Niklaus Mikaelson after all of these years?" Bonnie grinned. "Sorry. But that's kind of funny. Also scary. Because if someone is powerful enough to pull that off, then what else can they do?" Her expression hardened and Caroline felt her stomach twist.

"Yeah," Caroline sighed. "I wonder if Rebekah's going to be okay. I found her in a coffin, in the cellar, and I think someone gave her a magic wammy because she's completely nuts."

Bonnie snorted. "And she was so _very_ sane before." She shook her head and they began to laugh, thinking of all the things that Rebekah had done to them in the past. "That's a big _no_."

"Not even a little," Caroline shook her head. "Hey, you want to help me with a little mystery I have in my room?" she asked, stepping back inside the bedroom.

"Nice digs. So you're shacking up with the guy who might have killed your boyfriend?" Bonnie teased.

"Klaus is _not_ my boyfriend," Caroline retorted automatically while Bonnie smirked back at her. It was unnerving how many Damon-isms Bonnie had adopted over the years. Closing the door, Caroline walked over to the mystery wall. "Does this look like it doesn't belong to you, or is it just me?" she asked, knocking on the wall, half-expecting to hear a response.

"It looks kinda new to me." Bonnie came over to the wall, looking from the bricks to the other walls. "But I don't know. What are we looking for here?" she asked, glancing at Caroline.

Frowning, Caroline walked over and pulled out the notes from her back pocket, handing them to Bonnie. She hadn't had the opportunity to burn them yet. "Whose this _one_ from?" she asked, holding up the one with the warning on it.

"That's from Kol," Caroline said, absently, fingering one of the bricks.

" _Really_? Doesn't sound like the Kol Mikaelson I met. Crazy jackass," Bonnie muttered before handing Caroline the notes back. "So what do we do here? Take the wall down or leave it?"

"Take it down," Caroline replied, a little too quickly. She had already decided to do that before she had gone out to see Bonnie in trouble with the mistress and master of this prison.

"With what?" Bonnie asked. "And how will we cover up the noise from the 'ears'?"

"We'll have to be careful," Caroline replied. She pulled out her phone and turned on her favorite playlist, cranking the music as loud as she could, making her own ears ache. Looking around the room, she found nothing to break the wall with. "I will be back in a minute." Speeding through the house, she found a fire poker. She would prefer a large hammer but this would do. Speeding back upstairs, she looked at Bonnie. "You might want to back off."

When Bonnie moved far enough away and covered her ears, Caroline began to take her pent up rage out on the wall, bashing the bricks with all of her strength. Sending them flying and falling to the floor. Seeing what looked like a hand, she frantically banged at the wall, until an arm was revealed. Then a leg. Another arm. More body parts and then a face. Dropping the poker to the floor, Caroline began to rip the bricks out of place with her hands till she could see him. His face was grey. His eyes closed. "Klaus?" she cried. "Bonnie, help me!"

They freed Klaus from the wall and laid him on the bed. "What's _wrong_ with him?" Bonnie asked Caroline who could only stare at him in horror, not seeing anything. No dagger. No sign of other injury.

"I don't know," Caroline cried, ripping into her wrist, she placed it to his mouth. "Klaus! Klaus, I'm _here_. You're safe. Wake up for me. Come on, Klaus. Please! Wake up! _Klaus_?"

Suddenly his eyelids shot open and his hand came down to his chest, Caroline saw his hand over his shirt. Ripping it open, she looked him in the eye while he pointed. She took a deep breath and shoved her hand through his flesh while Bonnie gasped and Klaus moaned in pain. Feeling something hard, she wrapped her hand around it and yanked it free. "There," she cried, looking at the curved blade, covered in her lover's blood.

"Ah. Thank you, Caroline," Klaus moaned. "Now, where is Marcellus so that I may return this to him," he asked her, sitting up and taking the blade from her with a look of intense rage.

 **Thank you for reading, faving, following and reviewing.** **J**

 **Answers to Guest reviews:**

 **Guest: Yup. Thanks for reviewing.** **J**

 **Peace,**

 **Jessica**


	7. Chapter 7

**Hello, my lovely readers. We finally get to see Klaroline interacting again! Do a backflip! On with the show…**

Chapter 6: You're Safe

Watching Klaus struggling to get up, Caroline placed a hand on his shoulder. She wondered if he had been in that wall the entire time. If only she had stayed a little longer. More guilt piled on top of the already insurmountable amount she carried with her. No, she would not let Klaus go after Marcel. Not in this condition. She already lost too much. She couldn't lose him now that she had just found him.

"Caroline, love, this is _not_ the time to stop me," Klaus growled, his eyes pinning her with barely contained rage.

"Klaus, you _can't_ fight Marcel. You're in _no_ condition to win," Caroline argued placing her hands on her hips and glowering at him.

Klaus let out a mirthless chuckle. "If I had known that all it would take to get you down here was being locked away, I would have allowed myself to be locked up long ago," he murmured with a smirk.

"Klaus, this is not the time to be all flirty. We need…" Caroline trailed off, not knowing where she was going with this.

Bonnie jumped in. "We need to get out of here before the 'king' and that crazy vampire get back here," she told them, eyeing the door as if she expected someone to enter at any moment.

"Yes. Why don't we leave this place? And, of course, the _giant_ hole in the wall, where I was being kept will not raise any suspicions, now, will it?" Klaus seemed amused as he eyed Bonnie. "And what is it that is different about you, Bonnie Bennett? You smell oddly familiar and not so."

"She's taken up Raina Cruz's old line of work," Caroline said, absently. She examined the big pile of bricks. They would need to get rid of those and replace the wall. Quickly. But how? Then it occurred to her. "I'm going to make a quick call. _Please_. Try to _not_ kill each other while I'm gone," she begged the two mortal enemies.

Klaus sighed. "If you insist, sweetheart."

"No promises," Bonnie replied, crossing her arms and glaring at Klaus.

Sighing heavily, Caroline walked into the hallway and peered over the balcony. So far, the coast was clear. She pulled out her phone and dialed a now familiar number. "Hi, what are you up to right now?" she asked the person who picked up.

"Just tending my garden," Hayley replied. "What's up?"

"I found _someone_ you might want to see," Caroline informed the hybrid who inhaled quickly.

"Okay. I'll be right there," Hayley said.

" _Wait_. _Don't_ hang up. I also need a _big_ favor," Caroline said quickly. They spoke for several minutes before Caroline pocketed her phone and then returned to Klaus' bedroom. He had gotten to his feet and begun to pace.

"How is Hope?" Klaus demanded, taking a seat on his desk.

Caroline sucked in a breath. "You can ask her yourself soon," she told him brightly.

Klaus nodded. "Yes, I surmised as much from your chat with the Little Wolf. Well, we should begin cleaning this mess up." He waved a hand at the bricks.

Caroline stared at him. "If you think for _one_ second that I'm leaving this room to find a broom or something so that you can whoosh off somewhere, think again, mister!" she waved a finger at him, causing Klaus to chuckle.

"You have not changed a bit, Caroline," Klaus commented. She looked away. "Perhaps you have. But not at the core. You are still the woman I always believed you would become. The one I dreamt of while I was in that wall."

"You guys want me to give you some privacy?" Bonnie asked, her face scrunching up with discomfort.

Holding up a hand, Caroline shook her head. " _No_. We're fine."

"Yes, we would like moment _alone_. Perhaps you could go through the secret passageways and meet Hayley when she arrives," Klaus suggested.

"Or she could stay _here_ ," Caroline snapped, glaring at Klaus.

Bonnie looked at the two of them. "Or option C: I go down the hall and wait for you to get done with," she waved a hand, "whatever _this_ is."

"That suits me. Caroline?" Klaus looked to Caroline who shook her head and then nodded.

"Fine. Just be _careful_. Who knows whose running around here," Caroline watched Bonnie leave the room before turning back to Klaus. "So… I would ask how you've been, but that's kind of _obvious_ …" She trailed off, not knowing what else to say. This felt awkward since the last time they were this close, she ended up against the tree with the two of them mating like it was the end of the world.

"I've been wonderful. Nothing like a soothing three years of _excruciating_ torment to put a man in a better mood," Klaus replied, clapping his hands together and standing up.

Caroline tensed, watching him moving toward her. His movements weren't as limited as they had been mere minutes before. Damn his being The Original Hybrid. If it came to a fight, to keep him in here, she would end up in a heap, with her neck broken. This was not fair. "Klaus, you're _not_ going to make this easy on me, are you?" she asked him.

Grinning, Klaus stopped in front of her, smoothing her hair behind her ear. "Oh, Caroline, do you _really_ want me to make anything easier on you?" he inquired and she felt her heart beginning to race. She saw images of him, pressing her into that tree, his lips urgently finding hers, her hands on his pants, yanking them downward and then sweet bliss. His eyes lit up and she could tell he knew what she was thinking.

"Don't. Klaus. Just _don't_ try anything. I'm not here for that," Caroline pointed downward and Klaus' eyebrows rose.

"Now, I don't recall accusing you of having such wanton thoughts of lust when we are in the middle of such a horrific battle." Klaus's lips twisted into the same smile that he wore when he kissed her for the first time. "But, if you are thinking what I suspect you are thinking, I cannot say I would be against it. After all, I've been in a spot of pain and could use someone to act as the balm to soothe me."

Caroline felt her breathing coming out in little gasps as he leaned closer to her. She backed up, until her back hit a wall and still he moved forward, caging her in with his arms, watching her intently like the predator he was. "Klaus," she breathed. "We _can't_. We have to go."

"Just a little taste," Klaus whispered, sliding his hand down her side and to her hip, pulling her to him. She let out a cry when he yanked her up the wall. "I promise, I'll be quick, love." Caroline intended on arguing with him when he yanked her top off, tossing it to the floor. Thank God he didn't tear it, like the last time, because she hadn't brought another one with her.

"Caroline," he sighed, his lips finding hers and Caroline moaned into his mouth while she reached for his pants. "Oh, my sweet, Caroline," he sighed and then he dropped her to her feet.

"Sorry. I think we have company," Bonnie said, averting her gaze from them.

Klaus' eyes narrowed before leaning down and handing Caroline her top.

Bonnie and Caroline walked to the balcony with Klaus behind them.

"Bloody Strix," Klaus hissed, glaring down at the besuited male vampires. "Why did I not kill them when I had the chance," he seemed to be talking to himself when he re-entered his bedroom and took a seat on his bed.

"Who are the Strix?" Bonnie asked Klaus, leaning against the doorframe while Caroline chose to lean against his desk.

"They are an inane group of elitist vampires that bloody Elijah formed years ago to deal with threats such as our father. Foolishly, I did not kill them when they arrived here three years ago. Needless to say, I have since seen the error is my ways," Klaus told them. "Well, it's never too late to correct a mistake. Now is it?" He grinned, walking toward the doorway.

"Stop, Klaus!" Caroline ordered him. "You can't just go out there. If they see you and one of them escapes, they'll go running straight to Marcel."

Pivoting on his heel, Klaus laced his fingers behind his back, walking back toward her and stopping when there were two inches between them. "Yes, you are _right_ , love. Then we will have to make sure that _none_ of them survive. Shall we?" he held out a hand to Caroline. She looked to Bonnie. Her former friend shrugged.

"If you're ready for this, so am I," Bonnie told them with a bitter smile. "At least I can now fight as well as you two can."

"Yeah," Caroline nodded. She hated this and hoped that Hayley did not appear in the middle of the fight. Or, worse yet, that Marcel and Aurora arrived.

Bonnie went downstairs. "Hey, guys, you know, I was looking for someone to show me where I can find a bunch of Elijah Mikaelson wannabes, you wouldn't know where that would be, would you?"

Klaus grinned as he looked at Caroline. She felt herself smiling as her eyes changed color. They stood on the balcony, waiting for the fight to begin. "Marcel told us he had guests and to not kill you. He _didn't_ say we couldn't warm you up so that you'd talk," Wannabe Number One warned Bonnie before launching himself at her. That was all it took for the other four to move in.

Leaping off the balcony, Caroline fell on Wannabe Number Three's back while Klaus dropped between Four and Five, ripping out their hearts before they knew he was there. Bonnie kicked and punched at her vampire foe. Her last kick landed under his jaw, sending him flying backward. "Klaus?" the vampire cried while Klaus grinned before slamming his foot down the vampire's throat, severing his head from his body.

"Klaus!" Caroline yelled from her position under the vampire she had attacked. She hadn't anticipated how much stronger he would be. Grabbing his wrist, she broke it while he tried to rip her head off, his fingers entangled in her hair. "Klaus," she cried again, when she saw him standing over her with the vampire's bloody heart in his hand. He offered the clean one, dropping the heart to the courtyard's cement.

"That was… a rush," Bonnie told them, coming over to stand with them while Klaus yanked Caroline to her feet.

"Who the bloody hell let _him_ out?" someone cried and Caroline's eyes widened to see twenty more suit wearing and non suit wearing vampires surrounding them.

"That's a mistake we can _fix_ ," one of the non suit wearers stated, glaring at Klaus before racing toward him, her long, dark hair flying, her fangs extended.

"I was hoping for a fight!" Hayley cried jumping down from the balcony, dropping from the balcony and biting into the neck of the woman who had set her sights on Klaus.

Klaus grinned as the female hybrid turned to him, her eyes glowing yellow, her body poised to spring. "Good job, Little Wolf. Let's see if we might end the infernal misery of seeing my brother's so-called brethren making a mockery of his name?" Hayley grinned before looking at Caroline.

Caroline nodded at the other female before she began to punch and kick at anything that was not familiar to her. Hopefully, Marcel would not show up in the middle, although she wondered what they would do with the bodies. But she did not have time to answer her own question as a female vamp tried to rip her heart out. Caroline hissed in pain when the older vampire's arm shot through her chest. Suddenly, it went flying and Caroline wondered where Bonnie had gotten a sword from but didn't bother to ask.

Two vampires had ahold of Hayley, pinning her to the ground, trying to rip her apart, limb from limb, while she struggled. "Get _off_ of her!" Caroline growled, launching herself through the air and landing on the male vampire's back. It took all of her effort to separate his head from his body but she was really, _really_ pissed. Hayley bit right through the other vampire's throat before ripping her heart out. "Klaus!" Hayley yelled, staring at Klaus.

Klaus had five vampires on him. Somehow one of them had that damned blade. "No!" Caroline screamed, racing faster than she had ever run in her entire existence. Bonnie threw the sword and Caroline cut straight through the vampire's arm, dropping to her knees and raising the sword before slicing his head off.

"Get _her_!" One of the vampires yelled, pointing at Caroline. She turned around and cut off three more heads before tossing the sword back to Bonnie who had been backed into a corner by three more vampires.

Soon they were all dead. Klaus and Hayley stood, breathing heavily, blood dripping from their fangs while Bonnie stood, blood covering her from head to toe. Caroline wondered how she looked but did not want an answer to that question. "What do we do with the bodies?" she asked the New Orleans residents.

Klaus and Hayley glanced at each other. "Burn them," they said in unison. Hayley whipped out a lighter while Caroline and Klaus began to drag the bodies into a pile. Bonnie went in search of a bottle of alcohol. The former witch returned and doused Klaus' former enemies before Hayley tossed the lighter into the pile.

They watched the flames for a few seconds before they went back upstairs. They had work to do. Hayley had brought the bricks that Caroline had asked for in two huge sacks. "Don't even ask what people who saw me dragging these around asked," Hayley warned them while Klaus began to brick up the wall at a pace that made Caroline blink. Within five minutes, it was as if she had never torn the wall down, aside from the pile of old bricks which they placed in the bags. Bonnie found a broom and swept up the mess.

"Are you ready to see our little girl?" Hayley asked Klaus. He nodded but Caroline saw uncertainty in his expression. She knew the feeling. Yes, she had only been away from her daughters for a couple of months when Bonnie chased after her, but the girls had not been happy when she returned. However, she thought Hope would be another story.

"Yes," Klaus said firmly and Caroline took his hand in hers, squeezing it. He smiled at her before they left the room and walked through a tunnel entrance. Klaus pulled the door closed and followed through the hallway in which they had to walk single-file. Caroline reached backwards, taking Klaus' hand in hers. She felt him lift it to his lips, kissing her skin and making her shiver in the darkness, glad he couldn't see her blush.

They exited out the other side of the compound. Hayley marched over to a car, opening the trunk. "In we go," she ordered Klaus who narrowed his eyes. "Sorry. But it's the _only_ way we can get you out of here without raising eyebrows. Now, do you want to see Hope, or not?"

"I'll get in with you," Caroline offered.

"And, Bonnie, sorry but you're going to have the ride in the back in this," Hayley held up another bag.

Bonnie's eyes widened. " _No_. No way. I'd rather ride in the trunk with Klaus and Caroline."

"Sorry, Bonnie, but there will not be enough room for all of us," Klaus said with a grin while he climbed in. Caroline watched Bonnie roll her eyes and get into the back of the car, pulling the empty sack over her body and then disappearing, probably onto the floor of the car. Hayley got into the car. This left Caroline to look at Klaus. "Would you prefer to share that sack with Bonnie? I'm sure it's comfortable," Klaus teased while Caroline rolled her eyes.

Allowing Klaus to take her hand and snuggling up to him, she tried not to cry, when he pulled the trunk lid down. She hated being trapped. Too many times of being tortured. "Klaus, what are you _doing_?" Caroline hissed, she felt his hands beginning to slide up and down her body.

"Trying to distract you. I can feel the tension in your body, Caroline," Klaus whispered. "Would you like a massage?"

"In the back of a car?" Caroline couldn't help but laugh at the sheer absurdity of his question. "I don't think we have room," she told him.

"You know, that I can hear _everything_ you two are saying, right?" Hayley called from the front of the car.

"Then turn on the radio, love," Klaus called back, making Caroline giggle.

Hayley sighed and then the radio came on, loudly, with a Country-Western band that made Klaus swear. "Her taste astounds me," he swore into Caroline's ear.

"At least you're getting along. When I heard that you two had spawned, I half-expected to come here and find Hayley's head mounted on a pike outside the family home," Caroline whispered to him.

" _Really_? You think so _little_ of me?" Klaus said in a mocking tone.

Caroline smiled. "Yes," she told him with another giggle.

"How _very_ right you are. We've had many ups and downs. Now, my primary concern is to cure Elijah and to get Freya back from the curse she placed on them and to get the hex placed on Rebekah removed. Not too much to do down here in the Big Easy as your lot call it."

"My lot?" Caroline replied.

"Yes, _your_ lot," Klaus retorted. "Anyone born in the twentieth century. Unlike us… how did you put it… billion-year-olds?"

"I said a billion?" Caroline mussed when she felt his lips on her neck. "Klaus, _don't_ start," she told him.

"Why ever not?" Klaus asked her, running his lips over her collarbone and nipping at her skin.

"Because we're stuck in the back of the trunk of a car, headed toward an uncertain future, where one or both of us might die…" Caroline thought about what she was saying and placed her hands over his face, directing his lips to her own.

"That's more like it," Klaus whispered against her lips.

Caroline grinned as she turned, sliding her legs around his waist. They might one day be in more uncomfortable places and she wanted to enjoy their limited alone time. Who knew what would happen to either one of them in the future? Shutting her eyes, she enjoyed the feeling of his body pressed to hers, their lips remembering each other's taste as she slid her hands under his shirt, tracing his muscles and humming while he unzipped her pants, sliding his hand between her legs.

"We're _here_ ," Hayley said suddenly and Caroline jumped, hitting her head on the top of the trunk while Klaus jerked his hand away and she hurriedly rearranged her clothes before the trunk lid swung open to reveal an amused Hayley. "Hey, Horny Vamps, out get of there. I don't want to have to clean the trunk with Lysol and to steam vacuum it."

Smirking, Klaus hopped out of the car and then pulled Caroline out while Bonnie stretched. They stood just outside the trees to the bayou and Klaus took off before anyone could say another word. Hayley was right behind him, followed by Caroline with Bonnie right on her heels. When they got to the cabin, they found Klaus on his knees, holding onto his daughter. Caroline could see his shoulders quaking as he held the child to him. She felt tears begin to run down her own cheeks, thinking of her little ones.

"Daddy, don't cry," Hope told her father. "I _knew_ you'd come home," she said and Klaus stood with her in his arms.

"I have missed you, my Littlest Wolf," Klaus exclaimed and Caroline thought she had never seen him let down his walls like this with anyone before. That's when she knew, she was about to fall head over heels for Klaus freakin' Mikaelson. This was not good. Not at all.

 **So many problems to fic, so little time. Haha. Tune in next week to see what our hero/villians get up to trying to save their friends and we will see the real villain of this piece soon.** **J**

 **Thank you for reading, faving, following and reviewing.** **J**

 **Answers to guest reviews.** **J**

 **Guest: Hope does have lots of skills. Her powers are growing every day and she has some tricks we have yet to see.** **J**

 **Peace,**

 **Jessica**


	8. Chapter 8

**Hello, my lovely readers. Okay, so I will say here that I wrote this yesterday and I cannot remember if I specified how long Caroline has been in NOLA. So the timeline might be slightly off in this chapter. On with the show…**

Chapter 7: Beneath Our Feet

Everyone in the cabin was tense. You could feel anxiety in the room, like a thick blanket, pressing down on you until you couldn't breathe. Caroline tried not to speak, think or move. Klaus seemed to be the only person who was immune to the fear. He sat at the kitchen table, smiling as Hope showed him various sketches she had made. Placing her hands on either side of her father's head, she tried to enter his mind when Klaus, gently, took her hands away.

"Not right now, love," Klaus said, setting his daughter's tiny hands at her sides. The child frowned for the first time in hours.

"Why not, daddy?" Hope asked, watching Klaus closely.

For a split second, Caroline saw a glimpse of the old Klaus, the one who had terrorized her and hurt her. Then, the former self receded to be replaced by the devoted father. "I have many pressing things on my mind, Hope."

"Like your plans to hurt Marcel?" Hope inquired lightly. "Here. He gave me this," she pulled out the blade that Marcel had given her from a bag she was rarely seen without. "He said it was yours."

Klaus took the blade, running his fingers over the handle. "This belonged to your grandfather," he murmured, his expression clouding over.

"Grandpa Mikael or the other one?" Hope replied, touching her father's shoulder. Klaus frowned when Hope answered for him. "Grandpa Mikael. It's okay, daddy, I love you enough for both of us."

Caroline watched Klaus' eyes begin to shine with tears when he calmed himself. "Thank you," he whispered before turning to Caroline. "Caroline, will you be a dear and go and fetch Hayley for me?" he called to her.

Nodding, Caroline walked over to the door. "Bonnie, do you want to come with me?" she asked her friend.

"It's okay. I'll guard the precious cargo," Bonnie said, folding her arms over her chest, her eyes flicking to Hope to make it clear who she meant. Bonnie had been impressed by the little bit of Hope's power she could sense. It became obvious, very quickly that Bonnie felt that Hope was special and needed to be protected at all costs. Caroline liked the child but she had yet to figure out what made people so devoted to her. She was just child, who had extraordinary powers, but a child nevertheless.

"Okay. I'll be back," Caroline called over her shoulder. She walked out into the near twilight of her first day in New Orleans. Soon Bonnie and Hope would need to rest. So would Mary who had gone out with Hayley, on a walk, to get away from Klaus. Caroline wondered what Klaus had done to the elderly she-wolf to make her resent him so much. Then again, she didn't really want to know given his history of torturing good people.

Caroline found Hayley and Mary, standing, thirty yards away from the cabin, in a small clearing, that you wouldn't notice if you weren't standing in it. "Hey," she greeted them quietly.

Hayley's head snapped toward Caroline before Mary took note of her. Hybrid instincts. The vampire heard her while the wolf sensed her presence. "Hey, Caroline," she said, nodding at Caroline before looking back at the earth. Sometimes Caroline felt like Hayley was an open book, her emotions so clearly expressed in her every movement, expression, words, and at other times: nothing. A blank slate to form your own impression upon.

"What are we looking at?' Caroline asked, trying to make the time go more quickly before they returned to the cabin.

Hayley glanced at Caroline and then at the ground. "We're looking at what I can't live without," she replied.

That helped. Not at all. In Caroline's opinion. Not that anyone was asking her. "Klaus wanted to talk to you," Caroline told the wolf.

Sighing, Hayley turned around, beginning to trudge back to the cabin. Caroline followed her, slightly behind, tuning her senses for any sign of danger while Mary followed her. They entered the cabin to find Hope sitting on the floor, chanting while Klaus watched in fascination. "Klaus?" Hayley called.

He slowly tore his gaze from their child to look up at the werewolf. "Yes, Little Wolf. Where are my siblings?" he inquired with a smirk. "Did you dig a vast hole and drop them in?"

Caroline watched Hayley tense and then it occurred to her what the hole had been. Hayley glanced back at her and she knew she was right. "Yeah, Klaus. As a matter of fact I did," she retorted, glaring back at him.

Klaus let out a laugh before getting to his feet. "Well, then, it looks like we will have to dig them back up."

"And then what?" Hayley snapped, placing her hands on her hips. "We dig them up without a cure and then they're just sitting ducks." Growling, she leaned against a wall and began to glare a hole into the floor.

"Hope thinks she has found a solution to our problems," Klaus announced with a wide smile. "She is currently communicating with a small group of witches who are on their way, as we speak." He looked back down at his daughter, his pride evident.

"Who?" Bonnie asked, coming to stand closer to the child.

"Your daughters," Klaus told Caroline whose eyes rounded.

"What? No!" Caroline yelled, shaking her head. "No way. Hope, stop this minute!" she cried, moving toward the child when Klaus caught her by the upper arms, holding her in place while her vampire features came forward against her will. They could die and she wouldn't let anyone hurt her babies. Not for this family or anyone else. Yes, she wanted to help Klaus, but not if it cost her her kids. No way in hell. "Get off of me, Klaus!" Caroline demanded, pushing at him.

"Caroline, it is already done," Klaus told her, waiting for her eyes to connect with his and Caroline felt tears begin to stream down her cheeks.

"I swear that if anything happens to them, it will be you that will pay for this!" Caroline snarled, yanking away from Klaus and striding out the front door, feeling satisfied when it slammed behind her. She took a seat on a tree stump and started to sob. Her fear made her entire body shake.

Caroline felt startled when someone placed a hand on her shoulder. "We won't let anything happen to your girls, Caroline," Hayley said firmly.

"You can't promise me that," Caroline said, bitterly.

Hayley stood over her, looking around at the trees as darkness filled their sight. "Maybe not. But I can tell you, I will lay down my life to protect them. We're a family and we protect our own. I'll let the wolves know that their duty includes your kids," she reassured Caroline who wiped away tears as quickly as they fell.

"Thanks," Caroline replied, feeling a tiny bit better. But she still wished that Hope had not reached out to her children or that Klaus had at least told her what he was up to before sending her off to find Hayley. Typical Klaus though, always thinking he was right in whatever he did. Caroline would get him back for this.

Getting to her feet, Caroline walked back into the cabin with Hayley. "Can I talk to them?" she asked.

"Yes," Hope said, her head moving toward Caroline but her eyes stayed closed. "Take my hand," she held out her right hand.

Caroline walked over to the child, sitting on the floor, in front of her and taking her hand. Closing her eyes, Caroline reopened them to find herself in the front seat of a car, driven by Valerie. "How nice to see you again, Caroline," Valerie greeted her, turning to look at her with a smile.

"You can see me?" Caroline asked Valerie. She was used to being able to get into other people's heads but she wasn't used to being projected to another area like this.

"Mommy!" Lizzy and Josie cried in their car seats. Hope sat beside Lizzy, not in a car seat, not that she needed one. "You're here!"

"Oh, hi, babies!" Caroline cried, feeling her heart expanding while fresh tears ran down her cheeks.

"We're coming to see you, mommy!" Lizzie told her with a huge smile.

"Hope said we can help you!" Josie cried with a laugh.

"You can," Hope told the younger children.

"We hope," Valerie added, glancing at Caroline. "We shall see what the crisis is and then come to a conclusion afterward."

"What's a con-con-" Josie tried to say the word and then looked at her sister who shook her head.

"Con-clus-ion," Hope enunciated the word slowly while Lizzie and Josie imitated her. "My daddy uses big words like that all the time. I just get in his head to find out what they mean and sometimes he's confusing."

The girls giggled, no longer seeming to care what conclusion meant as they began to whisper to each other. Caroline watched her children, content to silently observe them. Yes, it had only been a sliver of time since she left but she felt like it had been a century. She missed every tiny thing they did, every new thing they learned, the way they laughed, the way they seemed to know what the other one thought. She could not imagine her life without them in it.

"It's time," Hope said suddenly and Caroline looked at her.

"No. Not yet," Caroline replied, reaching out and taking her daughters' hands. "Mommy loves you, and I will see you soon. Be good for Valerie. Okay?"

"Yes, mommy," they told her solemnly.

"Okay." Caroline nodded, looking at Valerie who nodded back at her.

Closing her eyes, Caroline reopened them to find she was back in the cabin with Hope, Klaus, Hayley, Bonnie and Mary.

Hope sat, smiling contentedly "Now it's time to get Uncle Elijah and Aunt Freya," she told them, getting to her feet.

On their way out of the cabin Bonnie caught up with Hayley and Caroline listened in on their conversation. "How did Hope learn all of this magic without a teacher?" she asked.

"She had one. She would connect with her Aunt Freya every day. At first I didn't know what she was doing. She would be talking or drawing one minute and then she would be in a trance the next. Sometimes I thought she was meditating but how many two-year-olds meditate? So one day I asked her and she told me that she was at their house." Hayley watched her daughter, leading them, her hand gripping her father's tightly.

"Wow. So, I'm guessing that Freya is pretty powerful," Bonnie said.

"And then some," Klaus called back to them with a grin.

Caroline smiled. She had wondered about this Freya person for awhile, feeling that it was kind of weird that there was yet another Mikaelson sibling that no one had ever heard of. Hope stopped above what Caroline presumed were the graves of Freya and Elijah. Klaus took off his jacket and rolled his sleeves up. Hayley placed the end of the shovel she held to atop another spot and Caroline went to help the female hybrid while Bonnie helped Klaus.

They spent the better part of the next fifteen minutes in silence before two coffins were uncovered. Caroline and Hayley hauled one of them up while Klaus easily unearthed the other. Klaus opened his first and swept a blonde woman out. Caroline looked at her, searching for the Mikaelson gene pool and seeing some of Klaus' features and a bit of Rebekah although she thought she might see it more if she were awake. Looking back at Hayley who flipped the lid open, she heard the wolf let out a muffled cry as she looked down at Elijah Mikaelson.

"Are you okay?" Caroline asked the hybrid who shook her head. She could see that the woman was trying and failing to contain her feelings.

"The bite is spreading, Klaus!" Hayley cried to Klaus, placing her hand on Elijah's neck and shaking her head as the male vampire lay, still unconscious, in his coffin. "What if they don't get here in time?"

"They will," Klaus said, his tone not making room for an argument.

"Caroline, help me with him," Hayley demanded, pulling Elijah from the coffin and Caroline took one of his arms, throwing it over her shoulder.

"Bonnie, if you will be a dear and rebury those coffins," Klaus called over his shoulder.

Caroline glanced at Bonnie who glared at Klaus. "Fine," Bonnie snapped. "I'll catch up with you."

Feeling guilty about leaving Bonnie out here by herself, Caroline turned around. "I'll stay here with you, girlie," Mary told Bonnie. "I may be old but I still have lot of fight in me. And it's best that if any wolves come through there's one of their own to let them know who you are."

"Thanks," Caroline heard Bonnie reply before she began to dig.

They walked back into the cabin and Hayley laid Elijah down on one of the beds in the room, sitting beside him and refusing to leave him. Klaus set Freya in a chair, watching his sister closely. "Hope, love, do you sense them?" he asked his daughter who took her aunt's hand.

"Yes, they should be here, very soon," Hope said.

Caroline wondered how that could be unless traffic was moving very quickly. Or unless they were already on their way. Now she wondered how long they had been headed toward New Orleans. Was it when she arrived? No, but not too long after, maybe after Damon and Elena left. Somewhere in there. Shaking her head, Caroline sat down. "They're going to be okay," she whispered to herself.

When the cabin door opened, Caroline half-expected her daughters to enter the cabin. Instead, everyone felt startled as the newcomer stood just outside while Mary came walking in. "You can come on in," she snapped. The man entered with a wide grin.

"Hello, darlings, Nik, so good to see you again," Kol greeted his brother.

"Kol!" Klaus seethed. His body went flashing from kneeling in front of his older sister to flying out the front door, taking Kol with him.

"Traitor!" Klaus roared as he punched Kol in the face, over and over again. "Give me a reason to spare your life!" he growled, reaching inside Kol's chest with a gruesome squishing noise.

"I will give you several," Kol replied. "I know where Rebekah is, whereas Marcel, does not. I know that there is a plan to take down the king, which Marcel does not. I am part of that plan, which Marcel does not know. And, alas, I have come to confess that I have seen the errors in my ways. Family comes first, brother." Kol stated his facts with a smile while Klaus glowered down at him.

"What else is there that you are not telling me?" Klaus snarled.

Kol gave him an innocent look. "Nothing. I swear it."

"You're lying!" Klaus hissed.

Kol shook his head and then shoved Klaus off of him. "Perhaps I am embellishing the truth. But you shall not know unless you help me."

"Me? Help you?" Klaus let out a bitter laugh.

"Yes," Kol retorted, dusting his clothes off. "Ugh. Swamp." He sniffed and looked at the werewolves. "And those," he wrinkled his nose.

"Where is Bonnie?" Caroline snapped, suddenly realizing that Bonnie was missing.

"Oh, yes, leverage," Kol replied with a smile.

Caroline moved forward when Klaus stepped in front of her. "You can't win against him, sweetheart," he reminded her before turning to Kol. "Kol, what did you do with the delightful new huntress?"

"Ah, Bonnie took up a new line of work, good on her," Kol laughed. "Yes, she's a bit preoccupied, trying to not use up what remains of her oxygen supply as we speak. Now, do we have a deal or not?"

Klaus gritted his teeth while Caroline wished she had a dagger to use on Kol. One minute she thought him friend, not she thought he might be her foe, is this what it was like to live in New Orleans? "I do this for Caroline. Not for you. Cross me again, Kol, and, mark my words, it will be the last thing you do."

"Yes, yes, do threaten me to impress the bird you fancy so," Kol shook with laughter as he extended a hand. "Shake on it and swear on what remains of our family," he ordered Klaus.

His eyes glittered with malice as he shook his younger brother's hand. Caroline wondered how long it would be before Kol would find himself, daggered and in a box. For once, she had to admit that she would side with Klaus on this one. "Yes, I swear: Always and forever," he said.

"Right. Well, Bonnie is where I left her. In one of the two graves. Have a nice time figuring out which is which. Hope for Bonnie's sake you figure it out soon," Kol called and he disappeared.

Feeling her heart begin to pound, Caroline and Klaus ran toward the clearing. They both begin to dig, frantically. Caroline felt more tears coming to her eyes. To think that she had spent years thinking of how she would kill Bonnie herself and, now, all she could do was suck in gasping sobs as she dug. When she heard Klaus yanking one of the coffins out, she looked up as she heard him call for her. "Caroline!"

"Bonnie?" Caroline shouted as Bonnie's upper body shot up in the coffin, Caroline hopped out of the hole she had been digging and ran over to her friend, kneeling beside her. "Bonnie? Bonnie, are you okay?"

Bonnie nodded, trying to even out her breathing. "Yeah. Nothing like a little time by yourself, under six feet of earth," she choked out.

Caroline wrapped her arms around her friend, in a hug tight enough to break the average human's ribcage. But Bonnie was much sturdier than she used to be. They fell over, toppling to the ground when Bonnie tried to climb out with Caroline still holding onto her. Letting out a laugh, Caroline grinned at her friend while Bonnie began to laugh, too. "Bonnie, I missed you," Caroline said quietly, taking her friend's hand in hers.

"I missed you, too, Care," Bonnie replied.

"You're my best friend, Bonnie," Caroline whispered. "And I know you didn't mean to hurt Ric. It wasn't right for me to cut you off when you were you you. You didn't do that to me when I flipped my switch back on."

"I know. It's okay. I would have been super pissed if I were you. And I am, I am super pissed at me. I carry what I did with me every day of my life," Bonnie told Caroline.

"If that is all. I think we should get these holes covered before we attract any more attention than need be. Then there is the small matter of Marcellus wondering where you are, exactly. We would not want to arouse suspicions, now would we?" Klaus questioned them with a smirk.

"But Lizzie and Josie should be here soon. That's what Hope said," Caroline cried, looking back, in the direction of the cabin.

"I give you my word, Caroline. I will guard you daughters with my very life," Klaus told her, cupping her cheek and staring into her eyes.

"I'll give you two a minute," Bonnie told them, walking away.

"Klaus," Caroline began when he cut her off with a kiss. She grabbed his shirt collar, pulling him closer. "You had better live through this because I might have to come looking for you to kick your ass."

"I will do my best," Klaus replied, kissing her again and Caroline closed her eyes. When she reopened them, he was gone.

"I guess it's time to get back before the mad king decides to send us to the dungeon," Caroline told Bonnie who nodded. She just hoped that Klaus could keep his promise and that she would live to see him again.

 **Thank you for reading, faving, following and reviewing.**

 **Answer to guest reviews:**

 **ilovetvd: Thank you for the two reviews. I hope you enjoyed this one as well.**

 **Peace,**

 **Jessica**


	9. Chapter 9

**Hello, my lovely readers. There is so much going on this story and so many more twists and turns. I hope you're all enjoying the story. On with the show…**

Chapter 8: Damned if You Do

Caroline felt out of breath as she and Bonnie entered the compound through the complicated, secret tunnel system. Vampires were not supposed to feel this tired. However, all Caroline wanted was sleep. Not the sleep of the unconscious that Rebekah had so kindly sent her into, of late, but the head-on-a-pillow-dreaming-your-life-away kind. Opening the door into the lower level of the compound, Caroline nodded at Bonnie with a wan smile as they headed out and turned around to find herself face-to-face with Marcel Gerard.

"Caroline, you're back," Marcel greeted her with a wide smile like he hadn't seen them enter through the tunnel system. "And I was just about to send some of my guys to hunt you down."

"I wanted to find her!" Aurora cried, taking a seat on a couch and pouting at the king. She fingered a throw pillow's fringe before smirking at Caroline. "We would have such a good time, you and I, but, now you've gone and ruined it with your little secrets and that," she waved a disgusted hand at Bonnie. "That hunter girl."

"Aurora, chill," Marcel ordered the red head who sighed heavily and got to her feet, moving to study the spines of some ancient looking books. "Look, Caroline. You're a guest. And I try to not go around assuming that my guests are up to something. But when my crew begins to disappear, my ex gets loose and goes on a killing spree and you up and vanish, that's a whole lot of coincidence. Don't you think?"

Caroline opened her mouth. "Well. Yeah. That is pretty weird," she stated and then wanted to kick herself.

"And then there's this other problem." Marcel nodded at Bonnie. "Somehow, you, being here, brought her. Now, I try not to jump to assumptions but, this," Marcel waved around himself. "situation is not looking so good from my standpoint. You see, my people, they're demanding answers and I have to give them something; otherwise it's going to be chaos, lots of bloodshed, murder, crime rate spikes. It's really not good for anyone."

Again, Caroline found herself not knowing what to say and she almost always had something to say. "Look, Marcel, right?" Bonnie inserted herself into the conversation, taking a step in front of Caroline. "We're not here to mess up whatever kind of twisted little kingdom you created for yourself. I'm just here to make sure that my friend survives her stay here. As for everything else, don't you think that, maybe, and I'm just guessing here, that you've made enough enemies that would want to come after your 'crew' or to hurt you in some manner?"

Marcel nodded. "You're a smart girl. In college, I bet." He gave Bonnie a wide smile that Caroline supposed would be charming if she didn't fear he would kill them both. Bonnie seemed immune to the king's charms while she stood, her arms crossed and feet spread apart, in an if-you-want-a-fight-bring-it stance.

"Post-college," Bonnie clarified.

"I knew it," Marcel clapped his hands together. "That's cool. Education is important. But it's as important as street-smarts. Money can't buy you those. Like when you hear little whisperings and then you find little bits of paper, just lying around on the floor with little messages on them. And you think, 'Hmm… wonder what this means?'" Removing a piece of paper from his back pocket, Marcel held the paper out to Caroline. "Remember this?" he asked her.

Stepping forward, Caroline took the piece of paper from Marcel and gulped before meeting his eyes. It was the message that Kol had given her before killing several of Marcel's men. "I…" Marcel held up a hand, effectively cutting her off.

"I know, Caroline. I know about your little plan. I also know whose missing from this house. You can tell him that he can come and meet me where it all started and we will finish this. Once and for all," Marcel snarled, glaring down at Caroline, his face transforming into something that she had never seen before. This monster looked much like Klaus' hybrid visage but worse.

Bonnie suddenly shoved Caroline out of the way, coming to stand in front of Marcel, the huntress about to go for a kill. "Caroline, run!" Bonnie shouted to Caroline who got to her feet, not willing to leave Bonnie alone with this new type of monster.

Marcel let out a chuckle, his features returning to normal. "Hey, my fight is not with the two of you. Yet. And I can't kill the messenger before the message is delivered, although I only need one of you to deliver it. So, which one of you would like to stay and chat while the other one goes running off to talk to my sire?" Grinning, Marcel looked from Caroline to Bonnie. "No volunteers?"

"Go, Caroline!" Bonnie snapped, her eyes on Marcel who seemed amused.

"No, Bonnie. I can't leave you with them," Caroline argued. She felt her heart slamming against her chest while Bonnie glanced back at her, her expression grim.

"Yes. Yes, you can. Just go. And get Klaus here ASAP. Like he said, they need to end this, whatever it is, and then we can go home," Bonnie reasoned.

Marcel titled his head to the side. "Yeah. That's it," he agreed while Caroline's guts twisted. She had a feeling that that would not be it. That there was much more to the story. And they couldn't leave until she helped Klaus get his family back. Why? She's wasn't really sure, but it felt like the right thing to do. "Okay. I will be back as soon as I can." Moving swiftly over to Bonnie, Caroline embraced her friend, whispering in her ear. "Be safe."

"Always," Bonnie replied, patting Caroline on the back and dropping her arms to her sides.

Caroline's heart squeezed as she made her way out of the room and down the hall. She wondered where Marcel had placed Rebekah this time, or if he had Rebekah. Presumably he did, but he hadn't mentioned it, not that she thought he would. Gritting her teeth, Caroline walked out of the compound, keeping her head down because you never knew who would feel the urge for a confrontation when she slammed into something solid. "Oh, my God!" she cried.

"Not quite," Kol let out a laugh. "Been back to the compound." He didn't even try to act like he was asking. Did he have spies in this town, too? "Come on, love, we're going for a little walk," he told her, grabbing her by the arm and practically dragging her along.

"Where are you taking me?" Caroline demanded.

"Not too far now," Kol stated under his breath.

Caroline tried to break free but her efforts were wasted against the strength of an Original vampire. "I need to talk to Klaus. Marcel wants to meet with him!" she hissed.

"Yes. Well, people in hell want ice water as the cliché goes. Personally, I don't really give a damn what Marcel bloody Gerard wants," Kol snapped, yanking Caroline through a gate and into the cemetery she had been at on her first day. "What are we doing here?" she demanded.

"Oh, we're here because there is to be a mystical convergence, darling," Kol explained, looking at the Vincent guy who knelt before a mausoleum, bare chested to the waist, blood marking his face and chest. He spoke in a language that Caroline was unfamiliar with. "Vincent believes that this convergence will have enough power to bring souls back who should have been cast away on a more permanent level. You are here to act as witness to this spell because I want Nik to know that if I do not get what I want, he doesn't either. Could I be more clear?" he asked, running a finger along Caroline's chest till it pointed to her heart.

Kol smiled and it registered on Caroline that he meant to kill her if his spell didn't work. "Okay. Lots of messages to give out. Can I please go?" she asked him, finally succeeding in pulling her arm away.

"Fly, little birdie. Best not to disappoint me lest I cut those pretty wings off of you," Kol called after Caroline who took off at vampire sped.

Caroline's breathing was erratic as she ran out of New Orleans and headed straight for the bayou. She knew that was risking exposure to the human community, but with a vampire king, she felt sure that her movements would not be subject to question. She was completely out of breath once she managed to get to the cabin, banging on the door. Klaus ripped the door open, grabbing Caroline who felt tears coming to her eyes. "Marcel wants to meet with you and Kol threatened to kill me!" she sobbed. Exhaustion, combined with pure fear, were making her emotional.

"Right then," Klaus' expression became unreadable while Hayley stood next to Hope with her arms over her chest.

"Daddy! Don't go yet!" Hope cried from her chair, getting up to follow her dad who had stepped out of the door.

"Hope, this is not up for debate!" Klaus replied, moving to leave when he went sailing into the wall in the back of the cabin.

"I said 'not yet!"' Hope replied seriously, glaring at her father whose eyes rounded when the door closed and the lock clicked.

Caroline watched the child face off with her father. "Hope, you cannot keep me hostage!" Klaus yelled at his off-spring.

"Marcel is not the enemy!" Hope yelled back, defiantly sticking out her chin and glowering up at her father.

Klaus looked confused. "Hope, darling, you do not seem to understand what is going on here," he tried to reason with her.

Hope shook her head. "You're going to try to kill him. And I'm not going to let you!" she shouted, snapping her fingers and Klaus' head moved to the side with a nasty sounding crunch. "I'm sorry, daddy. This is for your own good," she said, coming to stroke her father's head while he lay on the floor of the cabin.

No one else said a word for several seconds until Caroline spoke up. "Now what do we do?" she demanded. "Marcel has Bonnie. I don't think he's planning on serving her tea and asking her about the merits of a college being a vampire versus killing vampires, do you?" she asked Hayley who let out a heavy sigh.

"Hope, how many times do I have to tell you to not use magic like this?" Hayley demanded, pointing at Klaus' prone body.

"He was going to do something bad," Hope replied before walking over to the table and sitting down. She began to make a sketch while Hayley began to pace.

Caroline began to chew her bottom lip. This was not good at all. Soon Kol would be coming for her. Her girls weren't there yet. Who knew what Marcel would do if Klaus didn't show up. And it looked like Elijah might be dying for real this time. Glancing at the Original brother, she noticed his complexion continued to grow greyer and greyer as the bite continued to spread. This was a disaster and she had been in some pretty awful situations before. "Okay. So… what if we were to use a distraction with Marcel?" she inquired.

"Yes," Hope nodded with a wide smile. "That is why daddy fancies her," she told her mother who rolled her eyes before going to check on Elijah's bite. "Lizzie and Josie are almost here. They can help," she assured Caroline.

"How?" Caroline began to think of what her girls could do. They could turn her invisible and she could fight Marcel for Klaus. On the other hand, Marcel could bite her and it looked like that might be the end of her life. But if they could cure Elijah's bite, then they could cure Caroline if she were bitten. The only problem was that she didn't know where exactly Marcel wanted to meet Klaus.

"He's getting worse," Hayley muttered, snapping Caroline out of her own thoughts. Then the hybrid began to cry. That might have been the more startling than if he had tried to attack someone in the room.

"He'll be fine," Mary tried to assure Hayley although she did not look she believed her words.

"Is he in pain?" Hayley asked Hope who came over and laid her hands on Elijah's head.

"Not much. I think he's past pain," Hope told her mother. "I can help him." She began to chant and Elijah let out a sigh. "Take his hand, mommy," she ordered her mother who took Elijah's hand. "Now, close your eyes." Hayley closed her eyes and laid down beside Elijah on the narrow bed, burying her face into his suit jacket.

Turning her focus to Klaus who had begun to recover from his impromptu nap, Caroline watched him lift his head and narrow his eyes at his daughter. It seemed that Hope's magic was strong but not strong enough to hold up two spells at once. Klaus suddenly darted through the door and Caroline let out a curse. She sped out of the cabin after the hybrid. Thankfully he hadn't gotten too far away because a small group of people came into view. "Mommy!" Lizzie shouted, coming at Caroline like a tiny, human missile.

"Caroline," Valerie greeted Caroline, glancing at Klaus who gritted his teeth but followed them back to the cabin. "Who are we healing?" Valerie inquired as Caroline hugged Josie. The other twin had attached herself to her mother's leg and would not let go.

"Him," Caroline pointed at Elijah.

"Oh," Valerie pursed her lips as she walked over to examine his wound. Hayley refused to walk away, her one hand placed on Elijah's chest with a frown directed at Valerie. "This is quiet bad," the Heretic remarked. "Come, girls, the quicker we begin, the quicker we can leave."

"No! We're staying with mommy," Lizzie snapped, burying her face into Caroline's other leg.

"Girls, please help Valerie. This is very important to mommy!" Caroline pleaded.

"Yes, please do," Klaus added with a friendly smile.

Josie looked up at Klaus with a look of awe and then took his hand. He flinched for a second, drawing in a deep breath and then clasping her tiny hand in his. "He's got a lot of magic," Josie cried to her sister.

"Really?" Lizzie looked up at Klaus before making her way over to him.

"Take as much as you need. Just save my brother," Klaus told the girls.

Caroline worried that they were hurting him but when he looked at her, he nodded with a smile. "Okay, girls, that's enough," she told them after a long minute.

Lizzie and Josie looked disappointed but walked over to take Valerie's hand. "Do you remember what I told you in the car?" Valerie asked the girls.

"Only take the bite's magic," Josie said confidently. "Not his," she pointed at Elijah. "His…"

"Natural magic," Valerie replied, winking at Caroline before placing her hands over Elijah's bite. Lizzie and Josie placed their hands over the bite as well. For a long moment, they stood and Caroline watched, Klaus took her hand and she squeezed it in hers.

Hayley watched them, glancing at Freya every once in awhile. The female Mikaelson showed no since of life. "Is it working?" Hayley questioned them. Valerie and the girls ignored her, concentrating on their work.

They all stood, feeling slightly sick while the Heretic and her little helpers worked. After awhile Hayley offered her hand to Lizzie. "Here, take whatever you need," she told the child.

Lizzie clamped down on Hayley's hand and the wolf began to scream. Caroline turned her head away. She knew how badly that hurt and now she knew how much Elijah must mean to Hayley to offer herself up like that. "We need more," Lizzie cried.

"The spell is too strong!" Valerie groaned, about to stop when Klaus marched over and offered his hand to Valerie. She raised an eyebrow at him but took his hand. He gritted his teeth, letting out a hiss.

Caroline walked over and held out her hand to Josie and began to whimper, sinking to her knees while Josie absorbed her power. She felt like she might be dying as her daughter drained her. "Oh, I can't do this!" she moaned and her daughter let go.

"I'm sorry, mommy!" Josie cried out, watching Caroline lie on the floor, panting.

Lizzie let go of Hayley, who had passed out. "Hope?" she called.

Hope got up and took Lizzie's hand and then Josie's. She did not scream or even cry out in pain. Her head bent downward as she concentrated on her uncle. Caroline watched the five. Klaus suddenly dropped to the floor and Valerie let go of his hand, swearing under her breath. A tear began to run down Hope's cheek. "It's not enough," she whispered.

Getting to her feet, Caroline watched Valerie shake head. "I'm sorry, Caroline. I've never been up against something like this. This spell is too old. I would need my whole family, maybe the power of my entire coven to stop its effects. Your friend is going to die," she announced, looking down at Elijah.

"No! He bloody well will not!" Klaus snarled, glaring at Valerie. "There has to be another of your lot. Just go and find them."

"Klaus, they're it!" Caroline yelled back at Klaus who shook his head.

"No! There has to be another. Someone more powerful than this lot," Klaus waved a hand at Valerie and the children. "We will find them if I have to kill, torture or maim everyone on this bloody planet. We'll do the spell that Freya used, channeling me. Only we'll use Kol as the conduit. It's exactly what he deserves!" Klaus growled, walking toward the door.

"What if there was another answer?" Valerie asked them, looking uncomfortable. "What if there was someone who was more powerful than me and the twins?"

Caroline frowned. She couldn't think of anyone like that. "Who?"

"Who cares," Klaus snapped. "Go and find them. Money is no option."

"Well, he's dead," Valerie replied.

"Wait. No! We're not going there!" Caroline shouted at Valerie.

Klaus turned to Caroline. "It does not matter if we have to raise Jack the bloody Ripper! I will have my brother back!" he informed her.

Shaking her head, Caroline glared back at him. "You don't know what kind of hell you're asking to unleash on this city or on my children."

"Then we shall send them back," Klaus retorted. "Do whatever you must," he ordered Valerie.

Caroline sucked in a deep breath. Right at that moment she wished she had that blade of torture on her because she would stuff it in Klaus so fast his head would spin. "Klaus, you can't do this!" she snarled.

Klaus nodded, turning to Caroline as Hayley woke up and started to sob while her daughter tried to confront her. "It'll be okay," the child said.

"This is not up for debate, Caroline," Klaus told Caroline who glared back at him. "We will do whatever is necessary. Now, either you are with us or you are against us."

"Elijah," Hayley whimpered, pressing her tear streaked face into the Original's jacket.

Caroline waved to her girls. "Lizzie. Josie. We're going home. Now!" she cried to her children.

"But I want to help!" Josie protested.

"Me, too!" Lizzie added.

"NO!" Caroline thundered, startling her kids who stared at her with rounded eyes.

"Why?" Lizzie asked.

"Because Valerie is going to resurrect a very bad man," Caroline explained, taking their hands and leading them out the door of the cabin. For a moment she had forgotten about Bonnie. Turning back around, she walked back into the cabin. "Mary, can you get them back to Mystic Falls for me?" she asked the older woman.

"Yeah. I can do that," Mary looked confused.

"I'll call some of my friends so they know you're coming and can meet up with you," Caroline told the female wolf who took her girls back out into the night. She could hear the girls protesting the entire way and hoped that they would not do anything to hurt the wolf.

"Okay. Let's bring back Kai freakin' Parker!" Caroline snapped, glaring at Valerie and Klaus.

 **Duh, duh, duh. Will Kai come back? Tune in to find out next week.**

 **Thank you for reading, faving, following and reviewing.**

 **Answer to guest review:**

 **ILoveTVD: I wish!**

 **Peace,**

 **Jessica**


	10. Chapter 10

**Hello, my lovely readers. Kai is coming and he's go to no good.** **On with the show…**

Chapter 9: Resurrecting a Monster

Feeling cold fingers of fear gripping her muscles and lacing its steely grip around her heart, Caroline watched Valerie sit on the floor of the cabin. Why was she allowing this? Kai Parker had killed her daughters' biological mother, stabbing her to death on her wedding day and murdered his entire family. Kai Parker had terrorized her friends. He was the sole reason that Bonnie had nearly committed suicide after her being trapped in the 1994 Prison World. He had taken Elena from them. He did not deserve to live, ever again, for any reason.

Caroline believed in the good in people. She believed in the healing power of forgiveness. She believed in giving people second, third, fourth and fifth chances. Not as much as Elena and Stefan, but she liked to think that she was compassionate enough to care for those people who had done horrible things: people like Klaus Mikaelson. But Kai, Kai was another type of monster who did not care for anything or anyone. At least Klaus loved his family. What did Kai love? Himself? Caroline wasn't sure she believed that either.

Watching Valerie chant, Caroline could see herself speeding across the room and ripping her heat out of her chest. Stefan would be hurt, he cared for Valerie even if he stubbornly denied that he still did. And her girls cared for the Heretic. But what good would that do when Valerie unleashed the monster that was Kai?

Caroline was immersed in her thoughts when Valerie's eyes suddenly opened up. She looked directly at Caroline, her gaze blank before a slow smile formed that made Caroline feel like screaming and then vomiting. Kai. It had to be Kai behind that eerie smile that held no human emotion. Then Valerie dropped over to her side. Klaus moved to the Heretic's side, frowning as he looked down at her. Caroline felt relieved. Maybe the spell didn't work after all.

Hayley let out a cry, holding Elijah in her arms as the wolf bite moved toward his head, his face becoming grey. "Elijah, fight it! Elijah, this is not how you die!" the wolf yelled.

Hope sat at the table, watching the tableau with an alarming sense of ease, like she knew something that none of them did. And then her gaze moved to the middle of the room. A man stood there, looking at his hands. "It's good to be back," he said with a smile, stretching his body and rotating his head. "Man, death is like the worst hangover. Ever. I do not recommend it."

Her body tensed and Caroline's fists balled at her sides. She knew she could not fight Kai. But she would try if she had to. "Kai, we need your help," she said thought clenched teeth.

Kai's eyebrows quirked and he looked Caroline over before a slow smile dawned on his face. "Hey, I know you. You're the little blonde friend that I didn't get to play with," he waggled a finger at Caroline. "Well, let's make up for lost time."

"Get away from her!" Klaus snarled, shooting in front of Caroline so fast she blinked. He stood in front of her but she thought she knew what his face looked like and she could see his claws out. "You are not here for her," he growled.

Kai sighed. "Right. Of course. Sorry." Shrugging, he turned around. "This does look like a pickle and me without mayo and turkey." Letting out a laugh, Kai looked down at Elijah and then at Freya. "Man, I really wish I could help you, but you see, I'm not really interested in helping so much as… killing Bonnie Bennett. Anybody happen to know where she is?"

"You can kill the witch after you help my family," Klaus informed Kai, relaxing his position.

Caroline smacked Klaus on the arm. "There will be no killing of Bonnie, Klaus!" she yelled.

Kai's gaze flicked to them. A grin appearing. "Klaus? Like Niklaus Mikaelson? Man, I thought you were an urban legend. This is great. I am a huge fan of your work," Kai gushed. "For a long time you were my idol. I did some of my best work trying to imitate you, or trying to surpass you, whatever."

"How wonderful and as much as I would love to chat, I need you to be a dear and save my brother, Elijah, from his pesky, little wolf bite," Klaus said, moving closer to Kai who continued to grin, examining Klaus like he was Elvis or someone.

"Right. Cool. One, little wolf bite cure coming right up." Kai interlaced his fingers, cracking the knuckles and then moving over to Elijah. "Man, this guy is a wreck. You sure you're the Mikaelsons cause I heard you guys could not die from anything?"

"Less talk, more action," Hayley snapped, glaring at Kai, grabbing him by the hands and forcing them onto Elijah's chest. "Heal him before I rip your frickin' head off!"

"I like her," Kai said, winking at Hayley who looked disgusted. Closing his eyes, he started to chant in Latin. They watched as he began to absorb the wolf bite, his grin spread like some kind of goo, in Caroline's opinion, over his face, making him look more and more insidious. "And done," Kai said proudly as Elijah sat bolt upright, sucking in deep breaths and looking at all of them. "Now, back to where Bonnie is?"

"One more, please?" Klaus' hand moved in Freya's direction.

"You people just have all kinds of cool spelled people lying around. Man, I think I'm going to like it here." Kai walked over to Freya. "Hello, pretty lady, what can I do for you?" he asked, running a finger along her cheek.

"Just heal her!" Klaus growled, his lips curling back from his fangs.

Kai seemed to find Klaus amusing as he placed his hands on Freya's chest and began to chant again. "This one's powerful," he muttered, breaking from the chant just long enough to roll his head and then resume. After a few minutes, he took a step back with a satisfied grin when Freya shot forward, her wide eyes opening to take in Klaus who smirked, Elijah, who held Hayley close, and Hope who came running to her.

"Aunt Freya!" Hope yelled, throwing herself into Freya's arms. "You're here," she mumbled into Freya's top.

Elijah got to his feet with Hayley's help. "We must thank you…" he held out a hand to say he lacked information, his lips pursed slightly echoing his confused state.

"Kai Parker, at you service," Kai made a mocking bow and added a huge grin. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I have a witch to find and to torture."

"You're not going anywhere," Caroline snarled, her fangs dropping as her eyes glowed a fiery red.

Kai still looked amused. "Oh, that's really, truly scary. Want to see scary?" he began when Hope suddenly sent him flying. "Ouch. Okay. Not cool," the power hungry heretic/leader of the Gemini coven, yelled, getting to his feet and turning his sights on the youngest Mikaelson. "Who the hell are you anyway, Baby Witch?"

"Hope Mikaelson," Hope greeted him with a glint in her eye.

"It spawns," Kai clapped his hands, looking at Klaus and letting out a laugh. "Good to know there are other abominations running around, you know, other than me, and her," he waved at Valerie who still had yet to wake up.

"Is she dead?" Caroline demanded, looking from Kai to Valerie.

"Nah. She's just taking about fifty winks," Kai shrugged. "Back to the whole _quid_ _pro_ _quo_ thing. You know, I do you a solid, you do me one. That's how they say things today, right? Hey, I'm still rusty on the new language."

"You could be useful in another matter," Klaus stated, looking at Kai.

"Such as?" Kai inquired, watching them closely.

"One of my enemies has Bonnie Bennett. Perhaps if you were to help me with my problem, you might be able to talk with her," Klaus began to smirk and Caroline felt dread fill her stomach.

"Klaus, no!" Caroline protested.

Klaus gave her a long look. "Caroline, perhaps you should stay here while Freya, Kai and I take care of my Marcellus problem."

"And maybe not!" Caroline hissed back. "You owe me one, too, Klaus, or did you forget what I had to sacrifice to stay here and help you. Or what is at risk because of your plan?" she asked him, moving so that she stood an inch from his face, her eyes burning with uncontrolled fury.

Klaus' eyes glowed, too, only his glowed with lust rather than rage. She wanted to slap him but figured that would just be taken as foreplay by him. "Yes, Caroline, and we shall discuss that when we are not in mixed company." His words came out softly like he desired to comfort her when she knew he simply wanted to control her. Always the alpha male, always seeking to control everyone and everything. Not this time. Grabbing him by the back of the neck, Caroline yanked Klaus into a passionate kiss. He wrapped his arms around her, seemingly forgetting everyone else in the room for the moment until she gripped his neck and snapped it.

Inhaling, Caroline looked down at Klaus' prone body. "Okay. Freya, can you keep him here?" she asked Freya who nodded, wordlessly. "Kai, you want to see Bonnie so badly, come with me." She had no idea where Bonnie and Marcel would be exactly but she figured Kai might be able to figure it out easily enough.

"I'm coming with you. If you are going after Marcellus Gerard, this is our family's fight, not yours Miss Forbes," Elijah said, moving toward the door with Hayley trying to stop him, wrapping her arms around him and only causing him to drag her along, her boot heels scraping the wooden floor.

"Elijah, I am part of your family now," Caroline shot back. The Original vampire looked confused, turning to look at Hayley who nodded.

"She's one of us. She's proved herself ever since she arrived and then some," Hayley told Elijah before nodding at Caroline. "Call if you need backup. Elijah, get back in bed, you need to heal," she ordered her boyfriend who frowned but returned to the bed.

Caroline walked out into the night. She continued with Kai by her side. "So, where are we going?" Kai inquired, bouncing like a little kid with too much sugar in his system.

"I have no idea," Caroline replied.

"Yeah. That helps," Kai rolled his eyes. "Okay. Give me your hands. I need a little power jump," he told her.

Caroline glared at Kai. "Hell no," she snapped, moving to keep walking as the heretic grabbed her hands.

"Sorry. I was trying to be polite. Now, I'm just going to take it." Kai began to suck her magic and Caroline let out a scream of pain. "Oh, yeah. I'm good to go now and I can sense Bon Bon. Oh, yeah, baby, I'm back and we're going to dance," he grinned, shooting forward and Caroline ran after him. She hated that he was half-vampire now.

They sped toward the bridge that Caroline had driven over to arrive in New Orleans in the first place. "Okay. Let's play a little game called: Now You See Me." Before she could blink, Kai disappeared.

"Damn it!" Caroline muttered under her breath. He was supposed to use that glamour on her, too. And what if he took Bonnie without helping with Marcel?

Kai grinned like the frickin' Cheshire cat, appearing again behind her. "Come on, that's fun," he whispered into her ear. "Tag, you're it!" he cried, and Caroline found herself on the bridge facing Marcel who did not seem to see her. HE turned to Bonnie.

"If he doesn't show soon, I'm going to kill you," Marcel warned Bonnie who sneered up at him.

"I would like to see you try," Bonnie snapped, her lips pulled back.

"She looks different," Kai said, appearing next to Caroline. "I like it. Something to work with."

"Leave her alone," Caroline warned Kai who grinned back at her before speeding behind Bonnie and placing his hands around her throat.

Caroline let out a hiss, flying across the bridge. She let out a cry when Marcel's eyes widened, taking in her presence as she stopped a half foot from him. "Where is Klaus?" he demanded and then let out a cry when Kai kicked him in the shin.

"Now, that is fun. Come on, big guy, show me what you're made of?" Kai taunted Marcel. The king of New Orleans spun around and around, looking for his invisible attacker when Kai drove a first into his face, sending Marcel flying backward. "Wow. I missed fighting so much! And I never got to use my fists that much. Being a vampire is totally awesome!"

Caroline looked at Bonnie. Bonnie looked back at Caroline, her eyes wide with incomprehension. "Caroline, what is going on?" she asked.

"Bonnie…" Caroline began as Kai grabbed Marcel by the shirt collar, punching him over and over again until the other vampire's face became bloody and his breathing became ragged.

"Get off of me, you son of a bitch," Marcel shouted and then kicked Kai in the solar plexus, sending him flying back along the length of the bridge.

Kai looked back at Caroline. "Your turn," he cried, chanting and Caroline looked to Bonnie who began to look around.

Caroline did not have time to think before she took on Marcel, pounding at him and dodging his punches and kicks. Kai sat up, taking a deep breath. "I could use another boost," he said and his gaze landed on Bonnie. "Kai, no!" Caroline shouted. Thankfully, Bonnie could not hear her or she might have freaked out.

Before Caroline could dodge out of the way, Marcel's clenched fist caught her along the jaw, sending her flying over the bridge. The last thing she saw was Kai laying his hands on Bonnie's shoulders, sending her to her knees while she screamed in pain. "Bonnie!" Caroline screamed in her head. How had everything gone so terribly wrong, she wondered as she sunk to the bottom of the river, her eyes closing, her lungs filling with water?

What felt like days later someone dragged Caroline from the bottom of the river. She could feel someone's hand gently pushing her hair back from her face. "Caroline?" Klaus murmured and Caroline looked up at him. "Caroline, love, I thought Marcel had killed you," he stated, pressing desperate kisses to her forehead.

"Where's Bonnie?" Caroline asked weakly. Klaus' eyes clouded over. "Klaus, where is Bonnie?"

"She's gone, Caroline. We don't know where," Hayley stated, running a frustrated hand through her hair.

Caroline sat up on the bridge. It had been night when the battle began, now the sun shone down on them. "No. No. No!" Caroline shook her head frantically. She got to her feet, her wet clothes clinging to her body as she looked around for her friend as if Bonnie would magically appear from the thin air. "Bonnie?" Caroline howled, moving to the edge of the bridge and looking into the murky water's depths. "Bonnie!" Caroline wailed, slumping to the ground, wrapping her arms around her middle.

"Caroline," Klaus said quietly, he walked over to kneel beside her. He placed a hand on Caroline's shoulder. "Caroline, I am sorry. We came as soon as I woke…"

"Get away from me!" Caroline wailed, pushing Klaus away with both arms. "Get away," she sobbed. "This is all your fault! I should not have trusted you! All you care about is yourself and your family. And now that monster is on the loose and he's going go after Damon and then he'll find my babies! I hate you, Klaus! I hate you! I wish I had never met you!" Caroline screamed, getting to her feet, shaking all over and running from him.

Klaus chased her down the street, grabbing her from behind and holding on. "We'll find her. And if she is gone, I am truly sorry, Caroline. Had I been there, I would not have allowed that thing to lay a hand on her head because I know she is precious to you. For you, Caroline. Only for you." He pressed a hand to her head, pushing her into his chest and rocking her till she calmed.

"What if he killed her?" Caroline moaned, holding onto Klaus' arm. She felt more tears pour down her cheeks.

"We will have to find a way to bring her back. Isn't that what you lot are good at doing, bringing their witch back, time and time again?" Klaus smiled and Caroline felt herself smile back. He smoothed her hair behind her ear, pressing his lips to hers. She pulled him closer, lacing her fingers into his curls, being reminded of their time in the woods. The only time she had allowed herself to give into her feelings for him. She wanted to give in now but this did not seem like the time and certainly was not the place.

"What happened to Marcel?" Caroline asked.

Klaus' gaze clouded over. "I do not know, love. When we arrived, he, too, was gone." She could see a trace of fear and regret. His son echoed in her head. "Protect my brother" were Hope's words. Another chill filled her stomach. "We mustn't worry about Marcellus just yet. He wiggles out of the worst of straits. I once thought him dead for ninety odd years, only to find him ruling my city. I'm sure he just left to have a bourbon and tell his friends how he bested me in another row." His words were light but Caroline could see he did not believe them.

"Yeah. Should we go back to the bayou?" Caroline asked, looking to Hayley who stood at the edge of the bridge, on her phone and frowning.

"No, Caroline, we are going home to the Quarter. It is time I took my home and my city back and to show the Quarter why they made such a fool-hardy mistake three years ago." Klaus' lips twisted into the smirk that used to make Caroline wary. Now she felt excitement pour through her body. She knew she shouldn't, but all she wanted was to kick some ass, anyone's ass. Klaus got to his feet, holding out a hand to her. Caroline took the offered appendage, moving to straighten up. "Shall we?" Klaus asked and Caroline smiled as they made their way toward the city.

The Strix, among others, had no idea what was coming their way. "We shall," Caroline replied, linking arms with Klaus and feeling a smirk lighting up her own face. She could not wait to kick Aurora's ass for trying to make her into a dolly. The only thing that bothered Caroline would be the disappearance of her friend. Once they cleaned house, she would be leaving a few of Klaus' enemies alive to force whatever information they could gather out of them before handing them over to Klaus. Maybe that wasn't what Caroline of Mystic Falls would do. But that was what Caroline of New Orleans intended on doing.

 **Thank you for reading, faving, following and reviewing.**

 **Answers to guest reviews:**

 **Guest: Big uh ohhh!**

 **ilovetvd: I know! And it's only just getting started.**

 **Peace**

 **Jessica**


	11. Chapter 11

**Hello, my lovely readers. Sorry about the long wait. I had some real life problems I needed to deal with. I would like to say that I can go back to updating this fic weekly but I'm not going to make that promise and break it. On with the show…**

Chapter 10: Disappearing Act

Entering the French Quarter, Caroline Forbes wanted to feel someone's heart in her hand, pulsing rapidly right before she ripped it out and threw it away. She wanted her rage to guide her. She wanted everyone at her mercy. She wanted to feel the buzz of control that Klaus seemed to feel was a great high. Her switch was not flipped but her mind sang with fear, disgust and outrage. Her best friend might be dead. Her children were in danger. And her feelings for the hybrid at her side were deepening since she had freed him.

"Caroline," Klaus said quietly and her head snapped to the right. He smirked back at her. "Are you truly ready for this, love?"

"You have no idea," Caroline replied with a smirk of her own.

Klaus led Caroline and Hayley into the compound. He would not be Klaus if he did not make a grand entrance. "Hello, ladies and gentleman, shall we begin the executions or would you enjoy a trail such as the one you gave me?" He grinned, stepping into the middle of the courtyard, turning in a slow, steady circle on one heel with his fingers laced behind his back.

The Strix and other vampires who had been talking and probably plotting all looked shocked to see him. "How in the hell did you get out?" one besuited male demanded.

"I have my ways, you pompous fool," Klaus retorted with a wide grin before he descended on the vampire, ripping his head off with his fangs. "Ah, it is good to be home. Who's next?" he waved a hand and more than a dozen foes came after him.

Caroline dove into the melee of blood, gore and gratuitous violence. Her limbs flew through the air: punching, kicking, ripping with fangs and nails. Bodies began to pile up. One after the other Klaus' foes died at Klaus', Caroline's and Hayley's hands. At some point they were joined by others, some there to help Klaus' enemies, some seeming to not know which side to pick. It did not matter because all Caroline saw was blood and she wanted more.

"Caroline!" Klaus shouted at some point when she kneeled atop a female vampire, draining her foe dry. "Caroline, that is enough, love!" he said, placing a hand on her shoulder. Caroline shoved him away. She ran a hand over the back of her mouth.

"It's not. It won't be enough until everyone who took part in this is dead and gone. You can't let your enemies just run around because they'll come after people you care for!" Caroline yelled at Klaus, sending an elbow into a vampire who had been edging toward the gate. Grabbing the vampire by the hair, she tore his head off and tossed it into the pile. Klaus' eyes narrowed as he looked at her.

"Caroline, we will find Bonnie," Klaus tried to reassure her.

"Correction. I will find Bonnie. You can take care of your family," Caroline spat back at him. "Don't worry. I'll be back. And in one piece. Just let me do this." She did not intend on arguing with him. Striding toward the front door, Caroline only stopped when Klaus grabbed her, spun her around and kissed her on the lips, holding her to him tightly.

"Be careful. I've lost too many good people lately," Klaus told her, running his hand down her cheek and then letting her go.

Caroline forced a smile before whirling around and moving out of the blood bathed courtyard. She needed answers. Quickly. Time might be running out for Bonnie. And who knew if Kai wanted information that might lead to her babies. She had to stop him before she lost too many people. Having no idea where to go first, Caroline headed down the street. Witches. She needed a witch.

Deciding to go back to the bayou to find Valerie and Freya, Caroline grabbed the first tourist with a car, compelled them to give her their keys and took off. She had had enough of walking or running wherever she went; fearing exposure. Stopping the car near the edge of the bayou, she got out, slammed the door and ran the rest of the way. Unfortunately she was too late. The cabin held an eerie silence, like no one had been there in months. Her expression turning into a deep frown, Caroline's eyes flicked right and left. No one was there. No signs of a struggle. It was like they had all just disappeared. Kai. "Shit!" Caroline yelled.

Withdrawing her phone, Caroline meant to make a call when someone sent her phone flying. Her eyes darted to the corner of the house where Hope came out. "Hope?"

The child looked dazed. "He took a lot," Hope said, looking like she might faint. "A lot, a lot," she repeated. Her usual confidence that bordered on arrogance, so much like her father, had disappeared. She looked defeated. "He came for Valerie. And he took her. He said she didn't belong with us. That they were family." Hope's words came out as little more than a whisper. "He said he would kill Elijah and Freya. I don't know where he put them. I don't know. I…" The child looked like she might cry. "I think he did something bad to my brother."

"Hope, honey, don't cry. Come here," Caroline kneeled, holding out her arms to the little girl. She might be a miracle child but right now she was like any other five-year-old who had encountered a real-life monster. "It's okay, baby girl." She vaguely remembered Hayley calling Hope that and hoping that it would sooth the child. "It's okay. We'll find them all. They'll be okay."

Hope nodded, sobbing, clutching Caroline's neck. "I want my daddy," Hope moaned. "I want my daddy!"

Picking Hope up, Caroline carried her to the car. She wished she had chosen a tourist with a small child so she could put Hope in one of those kiddie seats. But beggars can't be choosers. Sighing, Caroline placed Hope in the back seat. She climbed behind the wheel and drove back to the compound. The minute they arrived, Klaus and Hayley came out. Hope's arms opened as Klaus yanked the door open. He withdrew his daughter, holding her close.

"They're gone, daddy. I tried to fight back but he just disappeared. Then he took my magic. I'm tired, daddy." Hope's mouth opened in a wide yawn.

"Hayley, take her to bed," Klaus ordered Hayley who did not protest his ordering her around for once.

"Was there any clue as to where he might have taken them?" Klaus demanded. He looked like his old, paranoid self which might be a bad thing all due considering what they were up against.

"Nothing that I could find," Caroline told him, hands on her hips. She felt his frustration. This had become far too out of their control. "I told you bringing Kai was a bad idea."

"Yes, well, I surmised as much. But I have defeated many a worthy adversary in my long life, Caroline. This will be just another chapter in our new story," Klaus smirked at her. "The first chapter of our family's history that includes you as one of us."

Caroline felt a smile rising but she forced it down. Too much had happened. She had to focus on taking out Kai rather than the swelling feeling in her heart when Klaus looked at her like that. As much as she might wish things were different, they just weren't right now. "Okay. So, you know any witches that we can get to help us find our rogue sociopath?" she quipped.

"Klaus!" a voice tore through the quiet that had fallen after the latest massacre on the family's grounds. "Where is she?" Kol roared, his eyes glowed and his fangs stood out.

"Kol, what a pleasure to see you again, brother, or should, I say displeasure? Come to make idle threats again?" Klaus retorted with a wide grin.

Kol growled before shooting forward with a piece of wood that he removed from his jacket. Caroline felt the pointy end shoot through her back, up her ribs and just beneath her heart. She gasped as blood began to seep from her mouth. "Klaus?" she hissed in pain, not knowing if he could help her or not.

Klaus' eyes darkened, his face becoming the mask of rage that made his foes scream in terror before bolting. "Kol, you would be well advised to run. I have far too many problems plaguing me to deal with your petty issues. Now, remove the stake from Caroline before I place it through your eyes." His words were measured, his fists balled and his body tensed to spring.

"You have Davina. And I mean to have her back. Now, give her to me and I do not end Caroline's life before you muck it up like you muck up everything good in your life. Like you did Camille." Kol's words seemed to hit something within Klaus because the next thing that Caroline knew the stake had been ripped out of her chest and Kol lay on the other side of the courtyard.

"Do not ever utter her name again!" Klaus snarled. "Not ever." He moved to stand over Kol, twirling the stake while Caroline kneeled on the ground, holding the gaping hole which had begun to knead itself back together.

"Why? Are you afraid that your precious Caroline will find you cared for another? A little human that got turned into a vampire and died because she foolishly stayed with you. Oh, brother, come, she has a right to know that loving you will only end in her cruel and excruciating death. Just like all the others. Or should I tell her about Aurora? Won't that be a pretty tale as well?" Kol sneered, moving to stand when Klaus kicked him in the jaw, sending him flying backward, into a wall.

Klaus moved toward his brother. Caroline forced herself to stand before running in front of him. "Klaus, he's your brother!" she reminded him. "He's a jackass but he's still your brother. Kick his ass if you want. But do not kill him. You won't recover from that."

"Sounds like Cami," Kol said with a laugh. "Oh, poor Dr. O'Connell. May she rest in peace."

"I will kill you!" Klaus shouted, trying to get at Kol while Caroline darted in front of him over and over again.

"Klaus, we need as much help as we can get to find Elijah and Freya. Maybe we can all work to together." Glancing at Kol, Caroline forced a smile. "You said that Davina girl is missing? Maybe the person who took the people we're looking for took her, too?"

Kol looked unimpressed. "Or maybe Nik has them. He likes to keep everything the way he likes, you sadistic bastard." Kol's accusation did sound like Klaus but Klaus' face told Caroline that Kol was wrong.

"No, I've been with Klaus almost the whole time. He doesn't have them." Caroline said, shaking her head.

"Really? Then, tell me, who does?" Kol demanded.

"Kai Parker," Klaus stated.

"Who?" Kol looked confused.

"Malakai Parker, super warlock. Bit crazy if you ask me, although clearly, no one is going to bother asking me anything," Rebekah snapped, entering the courtyard with a glare directed at all of them. "Well, is no one happy to see me?" she demanded.

Hayley came running down the stairs. "Rebekah, is it you you or other you?"

"It's me me. If you must ask," Rebekah replied with a toss of her long locks.

"How?" Klaus demanded, looking confused.

"Oh, just the subject in question had a little message he wanted me to deliver," Rebekah said with a bitter smirk.

"Oh, and what is that?" Klaus snapped.

"The games are just beginning," Rebekah said and then her neck snapped to the side before she dropped to the ground.

"What the bloody hell was that?" Kol shouted, looking around for whoever had snapped Rebekah's neck. "What am I missing here?"

"Kai," Caroline growled, wondering if he had left or still stood there, watching them and mocking their lack of comprehension. She hated this. Every time it seemed like they might be able to get ahead something knocked them back two steps. This felt like a game of Monopoly where the dealer kept shifting the board so they fell back to Go.

"Damn him," Klaus muttered. "What do you believe he wants?"

"Revenge," Caroline stated calmly. "And I know where he's headed next."

"Where is that?" Kol demanded.

"Mystic Falls," Caroline replied.

"Road trip," Hayley said.

"You're staying here with Hope," Klaus snapped, pointing at Hayley.

"He had Elijah!" Hayley yelled back. "And Rebekah's fine. She can take care of our baby perfectly without me. She's done it before."

"Maybe you should both stay here. Man the homestead," Caroline joked. "Kol and I will go back to Mystic Falls and find Kai."

"No, you aren't going without me!" Klaus yelled at Caroline, his eyes glowing.

Caroline moved to stand in front of him. Her own eyes lit up with fire. She stood in front of him and grabbed his shirt collar, bunching the fabric in her hands, pressing her lips to his, Caroline allowed herself to show him how she felt. "I will come home to you," she promised him, holding on to him, staring into his eyes.

"If you do not, I will have no further choice than to seek you out and break my promise to leave you be," Klaus said, placing his hands at her waist. He leaned down, kissing her deeply. "I care for you, Caroline, do not ever think otherwise. And I will do whatever it takes to keep you safe."

"Keep yourself safe, too," Caroline said, running a finger over his lower lip. He snatched her finger, kissing it lightly before he let her go.

Caroline felt like she would fall into a million broken shards when Klaus let her go and she turned her back on him. It used to be easier. To walk away in anger. To tell herself she did not care about him. To think he was a rotten, selfish monster. But he had changed. He had a family and a home to protect. He cared for people she had never; nor would ever meet. This Klaus was the one she had wished for, the one she had seen, hiding just beneath the surface. And she hated that she had to go.

Leading the way, Caroline sucked in a deep breath to steady herself as she got into her stolen vehicle. Kol hopped in beside her with a hard look of determination. "You know, I thought Davina was dead," she said, trying to make conversation, hoping for a distraction from what she was walking away from, even if it was temporary.

For a moment, Kol did not utter a word. He seemed to be transfixed by the open road before them: then he let out a bitter laugh. "Yes, my little witch was dead and gone to us. I drained her dry under the effects or a rather cruel spell. But I found a way to bring her back. Your little spell brought her back to me. Last night I watched her break from that hideous statue that Marcellus had made in her likeness. She stepped forth like a goddess from the sea, straight into my waiting arms. I danced with her. Kissed her. Told her I missed her. Closed my eyes for a mere second. Then. Poof. She's gone. I searched all night. Through every cranny of that forsaken graveyard, not a trace of her. Nor can Vincent find her."

Feeling sick, Caroline looked back at the road. "He took Bonnie. Maybe Marcel. Your sister, Freya and a Heretic named Valerie."

"You're in the thick of it with Heretics?" Kol shook his head.

"You know about them?" Caroline asked him, looking back at him.

"Yes, once had a thing for a bit of a girl named Nora. Her girlfriend did not take kindly to my advances and sucked my magic out, leaving me paralyzed for the better half of a day. What did you do wrong to get mixed up with their lot?" Kol inquired.

"It's a long story," Caroline replied.

"Yes. I think we might have time to tell it," Kol retorted with a grin. So, Caroline told him everything, withholding the part about her children. This was Kol Mikaelson who would trade a secret to save his own skin. Who knew what he would tell Kai to save Davina's?

 **Nashville, Tennessee:**

Kai Parker bounced his hands off the steering wheel that he had killed a tourist for. He had apologized afterward. Stupid Luke's empathy kicking in. Glad he killed him, not glad that he still had to deal with the kid's guilt from time to time. Right now he felt all kinds of conflicting emotions like looking at Bonnie Bennett, slumped in a seat beside his, made him want to scream, to cry, to kill someone else. He wanted to torture Bonnie. He wanted to kiss her. He wanted her the hell out his head.

"Where are you taking us?" Valerie, the angry little Heretic who liked to scowl at him a lot, sat in the back, her hands tied together until she learned how to behave, snapped. She sat beside another piece of the alluring puzzle that New Orleans witches, Davina Claire and Freya Mikaelson. He dumped Elijah off along the way. He could find his own way home. Then there was Marcel who had just plainly pissed Kai off. Who the heck did he think he was with all that power? Well, that had to end. Kai had happily drained Marcel of that blood that made him so special, having no idea what he would do with it. He had left Marcel as a gift to whichever member of the gang was trailing him after sticking that fun dagger that seemed to give some vampire so much pain.

"We're going back to Mystic Falls. Thought Bonnie want to die at home? Or get married. Don't really know till I get there. So many feelings. Man, I might need therapy. "What about you? Feeling a desire for a little couch time?" Kai inquired with a grin.

Valerie frowned at him. "I think of myself as understanding whatever issues I might have and dealing with them on my own. Thank you."

"That's too bad. Maybe we could get a family discount," Kai grinned widely, watching Valerie shake her head in the rearview mirror. "Come on, Grumpy. I think we should play a game? Okay? Let's try playing which one of these witches can help me kill Damon Salvatore? It's only fair since he killed me and all. It's like a killer's game of Tag. See, he killed me, so I'm it, now, I have to kill him. Then he'll be it. Then he can try to kill me again. You know, if he came back. Man, that game would never get old."

Valerie sighed. "Yes, that does sound like quite the exciting game." She rolled her eyes.

"So, if you were going to play my version of Tag who would you kill first?" Kai inquired.

"Other than you?" Valerie retorted.

"Yes, other than me," Kai retorted with a laugh.

Valerie looked thoughtful. "A man named Julian. But he is dead. Other than that, I do not have that many enemies."

"O, but I think I hear the sound of doubt there. You do have enemies. Tell me, tell me. Remember, we're family and if you're a syphonir in our family, you got to stick together."

"Right," Valerie smirked. "Well, I do not like the headmistress at the school I teach at much."

"You're a teacher?" Kai sneered. "That sounds lame. No offense. Still."

"Would you, please, shut up? The sound of your voice is like a drill in my brain," Bonnie complained, raising a hand to her forehead as she glanced at Kai. Then it seemed to dawn on her who he was and that she was not dreaming. Backing into the door behind her, Bonnie grimaced at Kai.

"Hi, honey, good nap?" Kai inquired with a sweet smile.

"Go back to hell!" Bonnie cried. Her legs went flying toward his face a lot more quickly than he expected for them to but he caught her feet, moving them just in front of his nose before he smacked her head into the door.

"Guess not," Kai said, peering at Bonnie who had gone limp. "Back to tag," he muttered, undoing Bonnie's seat belt, checking her head to make sure she would live and then pulling her limp body into his lap. Maybe he'd get pulled over. That could be fun, for him.

 **From now through the rest of the story we'll see little glances into what's going on with characters other than Caroline. I hope you like that.**

 **Thank you for reading, faving, following and reviewing.**

 **Answers to guest reviews:**

 **Guest: OMG indeed!**

 **Guest: My sentiments exactly.**

 **Peace,**

 **Jessica.**


	12. Chapter 12

**Hello, my lovely readers. This chapter is dedicated to an Anon on Tumblr and to my readers. My thoughts are with anyone who is under persecution in the United States and around the world. Be safe! On with the show…**

Chapter 11: Uncertainty

 **Biloxi, Mississippi**

The radio emitted static when Caroline flipped the channel. She wanted something, anything to distract her from her latest mission. If Kai Parker laid a finger on her kids, she would rip him to tiny, tiny pieces and hope that he came back just so she could do it again. Her eyes darkened and her fangs slid down as she let out a hiss of rage.

"Down, girl," Kol Mikaelson ordered her, his lips tilted upward into a look of amusement but his eyes held worry. Caroline glanced in his direction. He smirked back at her. "Yes, love?"

"Tell me about Davina," Caroline snapped, flipping the radio dial again.

Kol glanced out the window, a shadow passing over his face. He grabbed a radio dial and flipped it to a classical station before settling into his seat.

"Davina Claire has the worst taste in music," he stated. A genuine smile broke across his face.

"O-kay," Caroline tried to understand what that meant but figured it was something personal between the Original and the witch.

"And she was loved. By her friends. By me." Kol's eyes moved back to the passing landscape surrounding the car. Caroline had chosen to take the back roads until they got onto the highway. Kol had programmed her GPS with the best way to get back to Mystic Falls. Caroline hoped he was right.

"So she's a good guy?" Caroline tried to imagine that Kol would be attracted to a good person and couldn't really make herself believe it. Then again, Klaus loved her and who would have believed that? Not that she was a saint by any means. Her hands were covered in the blood of innocents as were her friends.

"The best," Kol replied shortly. "We did not always agree on everything. She hates Nik with a fiery passion and God help me, he's my brother." Chuckling, Kol seemed to be lost in a recollection while Caroline watched the road. "She bested him in a fight or two, you know."

Caroline grinned. "Now that, I would like to see."

"And you may, provided that we find my girl in time before that maniac does her harm," Kol retorted. "Who the bloody hell is he anyway?"

"Kai?" Caroline looked at Kol who nodded.

"He was part of the Gemini Coven before he killed his entire family. He siphons magic from the supernatural and, thanks to Damon and Stefan's mother, Lily, he's also a vampire." Caroline tried not to think of what he could do to her kids.

"A bloody hybrid," Kol groaned. "They're every, bloody, where."

"Yeah. It looks like," Caroline shook her head. "How did Davina die?"

Kol glared out the window. "The ancestors of the New Orleans witch community became angry with her for bringing me back to life and they decided to use me to kill her."

For a second, Caroline froze in her seat. When she finally looked at Kol she saw the pain that his confession brought him. Tears had welled up his eyes. Tears of frustration, fury and grief. People say that crying is a sign of weakness but Caroline knew better. It wasn't weakness. It was pain. And pain was never weak.

"Kol, I'm sorry," Caroline said, taking one hand off the steering wheel and taking one of his.

Kol looked up at her. For the first time, Caroline realized that she had never really spent any time with Kol. He was just that vampire who had terrorized Elena, Jeremy, and Damon, on occasion. He had never been real to her. Even when she had covered his body. What did she call him "a hideous corpse?" He had every reason to resent her for her callous treatment of him after his death. But he didn't seem to. He sat in this car and had not once brought up her lack of manners or expressed anger toward her for how she had treated his body.

Kol peered at her through narrowed eyes. "Penny for your thoughts, darling."

"Oh, umm… I wanted to say I'm sorry, too, for the way that I reacted after Jer and Lena, you know… And when Ty and I took care of you… That wasn't really right. I mean you were hurting or trying to hurt people I cared about so I thought you were a pretty horrible person at the time. But now I realize that I never really gave you a chance and I just wanted to say… that wasn't right, because I didn't know anything about you and I didn't really try to. And I'm babbling," Caroline's eyes shifted back to the road again.

Kol let out a laugh. "Caroline, I was half out of my bloody mind at that time. It was really Davina who brought me to a point where I began to value lives other than my own. She brings out the best in me," he grinned broadly. "Like you bring out the best in Nik. Never thought I would see the day but I saw a few when I was on The Other Side. He was in quite the good mood after the two of you had your little tryst not so very long ago."

Caroline's cheeks flushed a fiery red. "You saw that."

"Yes. It was a bit like watching HBO again. Only problem was: I didn't truly care to watch my own brother shagging a bird." Kol laughed again when Caroline closed her eyes, trying to ignore him. "Don't worry, love, I'm sure a lot of the supernatural community was watching the show, wished they had a bowl of popcorn, too."

"Ko, shut up!" Caroline shouted and Kol grinned widely until he looked out the windshield at what she was looking at.

"Bloody hell. What do we have here?" Kol muttered. He hopped out of the car first, making his way toward the body lying in a ditch. "Now, if this is not karma, I do not know what is." He grinned, leaning down toward the body when a hand shot up and grabbed him, knocking him to the ground.

"Kol!" Caroline ran toward the two vampires. She stopped when Kol easily threw the other vampire off of him and moved to kneel over him, shoving his hand through the other male's chest.

"Tell me why I shouldn't kill you where you lie for what you did to my family?" Kol demanded. The old Kol appearing, his smile wicked and cruel.

"Davina," the other vampire moaned.

Caroline stood nearby, waiting to see what the outcome would be. She couldn't fight Kol and she didn't know if she should. Klaus would not be happy, she knew that but how he would react if Kol killed this vampire, she didn't know either.

"Davina, won't forgive you if you kill me," the other vampire gasped as Kol shoved his hand in farther.

No one said anything. No one moved for a long time when Kol ripped his hand out. "I am sparring your life for her. Remember that, Marcellus," Kol snarled. "And you can find your own way home." Turning, Kol strode back to the car.

Caroline watched Marcel struggle to get to his feet. She could see that he was weak and needed help. But she had kids to worry about and as far as she could see, he'd done enough. Now he'd have to figure out how to deal with the backlash on his own. Walking back to the car, she got inside and felt a pang as she glanced in the rearview mirror, watching the vampire stand up on shaking legs and make his way to the side of the street.

Closing her mind off to any feelings of compassion toward beings who should be her enemies, Caroline kept driving. Kai could be anywhere at this point and she needed to get to Mystic Falls before he did or a lot of people might die. Gunning the engine, she sped forward, leaving the king of New Orleans in her dust.

 **Five miles outside of Mystic Falls:**

Kai Parker whistled as he filled the gas tank of the stolen vehicle. Bonnie glared at him from her place by his side. He had sucked some of her blood and her eye lids kept shutting. He had compelled the idiot in the service station to believe that Bonnie suffered from narcolepsy. Freya and Davina slept peacefully in the back of the car after he drained their magic away, again. Man, it was a rush having all this juice. He had offered some to Valerie. After all, they were family, but she refused. Oh, well.

Valerie came out of the service station, holding a bag of junk food and soft drinks for the road. He didn't really worry about her turning on him. The world hated their kind, so there was very little likelihood that she had made friends with anyone after his death. He just wondered what happened to her family.

"Val, where are the others?" Kai inquired conversationally.

"Others?" Valerie's eyebrows knit together and she gave him this look of incomprehension that he found just so cute since she knew damned well what he wanted to know.

"Your family? You remember them, the guys who drained me of blood over and over and over again when we were in that Prison World together. Good times, by the way." Kai grinned while Valerie scowled at him.

"They're all dead," Valerie snapped, yanking the door open and settling beside Freya.

"Oh, too bad," Kai shrugged. "So, you think there are any more of our kind?"

"Are you planning on starting a band?" Valerie quipped, glancing out the window.

Kai laughed. "You are funny? Let me guess: Damon humor?"

Valerie's head snapped in Kai's direction. "I don't know what you mean," she snapped.

Kai pulled out the gas pump, letting it drop. Let the place explode; he didn't really care. Grabbing Bonnie by the waist, he yanked her along by his side like a child with an over-sized rag doll while Bonnie moaned. "I think you know exactly what I mean. You're just playing dumb. Now, give me the phone like a nice girl, or I can take it, and you're not going to like that, not one bit."

Valerie dropped the cell phone into Kai's hand and he smiled. "See, that wasn't so bad. I think we're going to be good friends, you and me."

Sneering, Valerie rolled her eyes. "Friends? You are insane."

"If not friends, then enemies, and, trust me, Val, I'm not an enemy you want to have," Kai jerked the door open to the passenger side door, picked up Bonnie and plopped her in the seat, adjusting her legs. "Want to make sure we keep those," he told Bonnie who glared at him through drooping lids. She said something but he didn't quite catch it.

"What was that, Bonster?" Kai inquired, cupping his ear and moving closer to Bonnie.

"Screw you, Kai," Bonnie growled into his ear.

Kai pulled back. He pushed a lock of hair behind her ear. "I don't think that you're up for that just yet. Let's wait 'til we get home, I'll give you some blood. We can have another fight and then talk about it. What do you say?"

Bonnie's eyes closed and she let out a snore. "Okay. We'll revisit that issue at a later time," Kai declared. Rounding the vehicle, he got back inside and took his place behind the wheel.

Valerie glared when he looked at her in the backseat. "Hey, don't give me that look. I gave you a choice here: Work with me or die. I don't give most people more than one choice."

"What do you want with me?" Valerie demanded.

Kai sighed. "Well, if you have to know, I've been having reservations about living my entire life without family and I thought that maybe we could make a go of trying to start our own little Gemini Coven. A bigger, better version. It all starts with the Bonster and me. After a while, we'll start a family, you know, after she stops hating me, say twenty years from now. I was in a prison world for about that length of time, I can be patient, we have a set of our own little twinsies who can take over after I die. And you, you can find yourself some guy: human, vampire, whatever, doesn't matter, as long as your kids don't try to threaten my kids' succession, we'll all get along just fine. And soon we'll have a whole new coven since we're really good at breeding."

"Did you always talk this much when you were alive before?" Valerie inquired.

"Yup," Kai grinned when he saw the Welcome to Mystic Falls sign off to the side. "Hey, look, everyone, we're here," he announced.

"How wonderful," Valerie said sarcastically.

Kai's grin widened when he noticed a patrol car up ahead, lights flashing, parking to block him from passing by. Matt Donavon leaned against the side of the car, his gun drawn and pointed at Kai. "Pull over!" Donavon warned Kai.

The car slowed, then stopped as Kai applied pressure to the brakes. He got out of the car, whistling on his way toward Matt. "Hey, look who got a promotion. And I thought that Mystic Falls couldn't make another tragic mistake, and then they go and prove me wrong. Now, let me tell you how this works, you turn around run and I chase you down, torture you a bit and then kill you. Sound like fun? I know it does to me."

"Or plan B: We kill you," Damon Salvatore came out from behind a tree.

"And then you kill Bon Bon," Kai's lips turned downward, making a mockery of how he thought Damon would look if Bonnie died.

"And why do you think that?" Damon snapped.

"Because, Damon, who do you think released Elena from her curse? Seriously, please, try to keep up," Kai shook his head while Damon frowned.

"There was a witch… In Brazil," Damon trailed off, looking confused while Kai grinned back at him.

"Yeah. There was. And there are a lot of people going around doing things. They don't know why. Hell, they can't even remember why or how or when. None of that matters because I do. See, when you killed me, I had a plan, Damon. I had a Plan B and a Plan C and a Plan D; you know how this works. And here, we are, reunited again. Are you ready to die?" Kai tilted his head to the side, he had been waiting years for this plan to go into effect, to be standing this close to Damon again. The thrill of the chase never got old.

Damon glanced behind Kai. "Yeah. I think so," he said and Kai laughed.

"Oh, yeah, this is the part where I'm supposed to look behind me to find someone who is about to try to kill me, right?"

"Pretty much," Damon mused.

Kai rolled his eyes, he opened his mouth to chant himself invisible when something sliced through his vocal cords. Turning, he found a very angry looking Elena Gilbert. "You took away years of my life, Kai, now it's time that I take away yours," she snarled, driving the sword further into his neck.

Kai frowned before reaching down and yanking the annoying sword back out. He tossed it aside and then reached for Elena. "Duck!" someone yelled and Elena dropped to the ground when Stefan appeared with a crossbow. "Go back to hell!" Stefan snarled, shooting an arrow at him and Kai groaned when it went through his left eyeball. That hurt.

Then Damon came at him from behind with blinding speed, reaching for his neck, meaning to rip his head off again. "Good-bye, Kai. Can't say you'll be missed."

Kai chuckled. "Always using the same tricks, Damon," he said, bending over and throwing Damon onto the road in front of him. Ripping out the arrow, he stabbed Damon just under the heart.

"No!" Elena screamed while Stefan held her back. Damon let out a harsh breath while Kai pushed the arrow closer to his heart.

"Any last words?" Kai inquired, feeling amused.

"Yeah. Behind you!" Damon snarled.

Kai rolled his eyes and looked behind him. There was no one there. Turning back, his good eye took in Valerie who grabbed him by the shoulders, he felt her beginning to suck his borrowed magic away. Reaching back, he slapped her away and she went flying.

"Valerie!" Stefan yelled, letting go of Elena and running to Valerie's side.

Kai got to his feet. "Man, that sucked." Marching toward Elena, he reached for her as she took off running.

"Get away from her!" Matt yelled, and began firing.

The bullets did little more than annoy Kai who turned around. He lifted his hand, crushing Matt's throat as his fingers curled into a fist. "I thought you were saving all your dances for me," Bonnie's voice sounded behind Kai and he turned around.

The tire iron took him by surprise and Kai went flying, slamming into a tree while Bonnie's grinned at him. She had changed and he liked it as her lips pulled back into a sneer and he felt his breathing come out in ragged gasps while Damon forced Bonnie into Kai's stolen vehicle and the Mystic Falls gang took off. It was okay. He would find them. He had plenty of time.

 **New Orleans:**

Klaus paced the length of the courtyard when Hayley came back down from laying their child down for a nap. She looked exhausted and wired. "She'll be fine, Klaus," Hayley said, coming to stand in front of him, hands on her hips.

"I know, Little Wolf," Klaus replied. "But I…"

"You wish you were with her and not Kol because you don't trust him as far as you can throw him," Hayley stated.

Klaus smirked, his head dipping before he met her eyes. At the worst of times they were the worst of enemies, at the best, they were the best of allies. "Yes, Hayley. I would like nothing more than to join her but our daughter is here and I must think of Hope's safety as Caroline thinks of her own children's."

"She'll find her way home," Hayley assured him, folding her arms over her chest, looking at the entrance to their home as if Caroline would come striding toward them at any moment.

"Like Elijah?" Klaus watched Hayley's head bob.

"Just like Elijah. They'll always find their way home," Hayley said, glancing over her shoulder at Klaus who placed a hand on her shoulder.

"Yes, they will," Klaus said. "I'm going upstairs to check on Hope." He turned away from the younger hybrid, leaving her to her vigil.

Hope lay in her bed, sleeping peacefully and Klaus came in, moving her hair behind her ear and kissing her on the cheek before leaving her to her dreams. He entered his room. He would need new supplies. His paints had dried since his disappearance and he felt the need to create a new vision of his city, his family, and his Caroline.

 **Thank you for reading, faving, following and reviewing.**

 **J. E.: Thank you for your response. As for any OOC behavior or comments from Klaus or Caroline, I think we tend to have certain preconceived ideas about how these two characters behave from TVD scenes and fanfics. How they speak or behave in this fic is a reflection is based on what could be rather than what has been if they interacted on TO where Caroline would be reshaped as a character as well as her relationship with Klaus.**

 **Guest: Thank you! I'm looking forward to TO coming back, too!**

 **Peace,**

 **Jessica**


	13. Chapter 13

**Hello, my lovely readers. It feels like I haven't updated this fic in forever. On with the show…**

Chapter 12: What's that Old Song?

 **?, Mississippi:**

To say that Elijah Mikaelson was perturbed when he woke, on the side of a road, in who-knew-what-state, would be a grand understatement. In fact, Elijah felt fury coursing through him. He allowed himself to let down his guard, just for a brief moment. That had been all it took for Kai Parker, his rescuer, and, now, the new villain of his family's story—to break Elijah's neck before dumping him.

When Elijah had first awakened from his five year slumber he had been weak. His body reduced in strength from the bite that Marcellus Gerard had given him. On waking, his first instinct had been to track down Marcel and to rip his heart out, again. Not that that would do any good as past experience had taught him. Still, it would allow Elijah some sense of release from the anger that he'd been living with for five years.

Now, Elijah stood inside a diner with a group of people who examined his dirty suit with suspicion. Elijah simply stared back at them until they returned to their dinner. They seemed to understand—that despite his attire—his looks might very well kill them. Good.

"Excuse me," Elijah called to a waitress who walked past him, her hips swinging.

The woman turned to him, her eyebrows rising as she took in his suit. "Oh, my, darling, are you all right?" she asked, a deep accent telling Elijah that he was still in the South of the United States.

"Could you tell me where we are?" Elijah inquired.

"You're in Moss Point, Mississippi, honey," the waitress clucked her tongue at him. "Why don't you take a seat on this stool, _here_?" She pointed at a stool near the counter. "I'll get you some coffee. If you don't mind my saying: you look like you could use a pick-me-up." Giving Elijah another long look; she frowned. "And maybe some medical attention." She eyed his elbow and Elijah glanced down at the bloody, torn fabric of his suit jacket and shirt. They must have torn when he fell from the car.

"I can assure you; I am fine. Thank you," Elijah offered the woman a smile and she grinned back at him, her hand going to the back of her neck.

"Well, I will go and get you that coffee I promised." She turned around and moved to pour out a cup of coffee. Seconds later she placed a steaming cup on the counter. "Be careful; our pot makes it just below boiling," she was saying at the same time that Elijah brought the cup to his lips and took a long swallow. When he did not cry out in pain another smile appeared on her face. "You must be one of those people you hear about, the ones who don't feel pain. That's a neat trick, wish I had it."

Elijah nodded but kept his thoughts to himself. He needed to leave soon. "Thank you for the coffee," he said, draining the cup. Getting to his feet, he removed his wallet and frowned at the lack of money. It appeared that Kai Parker had robbed him before dumping him. This only added to Elijah's desire to find and kill the man in question.

"Don't worry about, it's on the house," the waitress said with a wave of her hand.

"Thank you," Elijah said. He headed toward the door when she came out from behind the counter.

"Did you need a ride somewhere? To a friend's place or the local emergency room or something?" she asked, her dark eyebrows rising.

"If it would not be an imposition," Elijah replied smoothly.

The waitress grinned. "Hey, I'd do anything to get out of here for a couple of minutes." She turned around. "Sandra, I'm taking him to a hospital, you got me covered?"

"Sure thing, darling!" another woman, with blonde hair piled on top of her head called, waving the other waitress away.

Elijah followed the woman—who he still did not know the name of—out the front door. She pulled out her keys and opened the passenger side door before walking around to sit in driver's seat. Elijah slid into the passenger seat. "Buckle up," she told him.

A grin tugged at the corner of Elijah's mouth. His companion looked to be about twenty but she sounded and acted older. He would feel guilty about his plan later on. When they were a mile away—the waitress talking the entire time—Elijah turned to her. "Stop the car," he said quietly.

The waitress pulled over and then looked at Elijah. " _What_ just happened?" she asked him, her voice higher pitched than before.

"You are not afraid," Elijah told her before taking her wrist and draining an artery. She began to pale, and, again, Elijah felt a pang of guilt. She had been kind to him and he rewarded her by drinking her blood. "Thank you…"

"Scarlet," she murmured. "My mama loved _Gone_ _with_ _the_ _Wind_." Her head lulled to the side.

"Scarlet, I need you to get out of the car," Elijah said quietly.

"I can't. I am _so_ _damned_ _tired_." Scarlet's black hair began to fall out of her ponytail as she shook her head back and forth.

"You will be fine," Elijah reassured her, having no idea if this was true or not.

Scarlet groaned as she climbed out of the car and then stood on the road side. Elijah slid into the driver's side of the car and then turned the key in the ignition. He started to drive off before guilt pierced through him again. Turning around, he found Scarlet and drove her to a hospital. There had been enough collateral damage lately.

Elijah's thoughts were so focused on driving from Mississippi to Virginia that he barely noticed that there was a man standing on the road side. As he got closer, he recognized the back of the man's head and his anger grew. His foot pressed down on the accelerator as he approached.

The night sky and stars shown down as the entity that Elijah intended on ramming with his "borrowed" vehicle, turned around. Elijah stared into Marcel's eyes as he floored the gas pedal.

At the last possible moment, Elijah swerved the vehicle, causing it to spin out-of-control, and rolled, landing upside down some twenty feet away from where Marcel stood. Elijah gritted his teeth as he sat, trapped behind the wheel.

"Good job, Elijah," Marcel's voice came from outside the car. "Think you were in Indiana?" A familiar chuckle made Elijah want to rip Marcel's head off at the same time that the door to the car was ripped off and Marcel popped his head inside the vehicle. "Not feeling the homicidal urge, again?"

"My time-out put me in _much_ better spirits," Elijah remarked drily, taking the hand that Marcel offered him and sliding out of the car. "How did you come to be out here?" Elijah did not care what happened to Marcel but he would like to know where Freya was.

"That psycho, who makes Klaus look sane, took my blood and took off. He's still got Davina which is the _only_ reason I'm standing here, talking to you, right now," Marcel snapped, already moving down the road side.

"And _Freya_?" Elijah replied.

" _Yeah_. As far as I know, he's got them both," Marcel said over his shoulder. "Which means the enemy of my enemy," he looked back at Elijah, "you know where I'm going with this?"

" _Yes_. I am afraid I do," Elijah replied drily.

" _Good_. Since that's settled, it looks like we're headed to… I have no idea where in the hell we're going." Marcel stopped walking to look at Elijah.

"Mystic Falls, Virginia," Elijah retorted, walking in front of Marcel.

"I always wanted to visit that town," Marcel said, his sarcasm making Elijah grit his teeth again.

"It might be best if we don't talk," Elijah snapped.

"Fine by me," Marcel retorted.

They walked together, in silence, waiting for a car to drive down the silent road so they would be able to make it to Virginia quicker. For once, in years, their causes were aligned; family must come first.

 **Mystic Falls, Virginia:**

Foot easing down on the brake, Caroline slowed to a stop in front of the Salvatore Boarding House. This was where they were supposed to be. She just hoped that she had made it before Kai. She shoved the door to the car open and leapt out. Kol followed behind her as Caroline ran up to the front door.

Caroline removed the key that Stefan had given her in case of emergency and she unlocked the door. The house was far too quiet and she could feel her heart hammering away in her chest. She forgot about Kol as she stepped inside the house and headed for the stairs.

"What shall I do?" Kol called after Caroline who stopped her upward march, feeling an urge to stake Kol.

"Kol, just go get a drink. I'm going to check on my girls," Caroline ground out. Once she entered the second floor, she called out. "Lizzie? Josie? Mommy's home!"

"Is it _really_ her?" Lizzie's voice whispered in the dark.

"It sounds like her," Josie replied and then the girls appeared.

"Babies, I missed you so much!" Caroline said, tears running down her cheeks as she dropped to her knees. The girls came running to her, and she enfolded them with each arm, feeling their arms wrapping around her neck. She'd never felt this afraid or this relieved in her entire life.

"We missed you, mommy," Josie said.

"I made you a picture," Lizzie added.

"Ah, there they are. Aren't you two just cute as a couple of buttons?" Kol inquired, coming to stand behind Caroline.

The girls looked up at Kol; then they looked at Caroline. Standing up, Caroline turned to face Kol, keeping the girls behind her. Just because she told Klaus that she would take Kol with her did not mean that she trusted him as far as she could throw him, not when her girls' lives were at stake.

Kol seemed to sense her anxiety. "You know," he said, crouching down and ignoring Caroline completely. "I have a little niece about your age. If all goes well, you might even be able to meet her. Would you like that?" he asked the girls who looked at each other.

"Yes!" the girls cried in unison.

" _Good_. I'm sure Hope would like a few mates of her own," Kol said, straightening up and winking at Caroline.

Caroline relaxed a fraction. She was trying to give Kol a chance but she had no intention of being stupid with him. No one could be trusted. Seriously. Now, she sounded like Klaus. Giving herself a mental shake, Caroline glanced back at the girls who were whispering into each other's ears. "He's a vampire." "I know." "Is he like mommy?" "I think Mommy doesn't like him."

Finally, Lizzie spoke to Kol. "Are you a _good_ vampire or a _bad_ vampire?" she asked him.

Kol knelt down again. "I'm trying to be a good vampire for a girl I love," he told her.

"You love a girl?" Lizzie looked at Josie and they both let out a loud giggle. "Is she pretty?"

" _Very_ ," Kol told them.

Again, the girls giggled. "Is she a princess?" Josie asked him.

"No, she is a _witch_ ," Kol stated.

"Oh," the girls looked at each other. "Our other mommy was a witch, too," Josie told him.

Kol looked at Caroline. "Is that _right_? Then you, too, are witches. Like I was before I died."

" _You_ were a witch?" Lizzie's mouth rounded in an O of surprise.

"Yes, I _was_. And I was rather good at my craft." Kol stated.

Caroline's eyebrows rose. She never would have guessed that Kol had ever practiced magic. "If you're good, I'll teach you a few tricks," he continued.

"We don't have our magic," Lizzie said, a shadow passing over her face. "We have to take it from people."

"Oh, you do, do you?" Kol looked up at Caroline. She saw a look on his face she did not like at all.

They were interrupted by the sound of a commotion from downstairs. Caroline's ears perked up and Kol stood up; his body tensing for a fight. " _Hide_ ," Caroline ordered the girls who disappeared.

Caroline and Kol flashed downstairs to take in a number of things happening all at once. "Get him to the couch," Stefan was saying as he and Matt moved Damon to a couch.

"I'll get some blood," Elena was saying.

"A little help would be nice!" Bonnie called as she entered the house with an unconscious girl in her arms.

Kol sped forward and took the girl from a startled Bonnie. " _Davina_?" Kol cried, stroking her hair out of her face.

Matt left the house and came back in carrying Freya Mikaelson whose head drooped on his shoulder. "Is this everyone?" he asked on his way to the empty couch in the living room.

"Yes," Bonnie said, kneeling beside Davina. Kol ripped open his wrist and placed it to Davina's lips while Stefan ripped an arrow out of Damon who let out a scream of pain.

"Davina?" Kol called again. The girl's eyelids fluttered and then she let out a moan. "Oh, darling," he groaned, pulling her to his chest, rocking her back and forth. "What _happened_ to her?" he asked Bonnie.

"Kai sapped her like a juice box," Bonnie said, warily. She stepped past the entryway. "I should check on Damon and the others."

Elena came out from the basement and seemed to finally register that Kol was there. "What is _he_ doing, _here_?" she demanded, giving Caroline a hurt look.

Caroline opened her mouth to reply when Kol stood up; pulling Davina up with him. "Don't worry. I'll be on my way out now that I have what I need."

"What about _your_ _sister_?" Caroline demanded.

Davina looked at Kol. "Freya?" She walked away from Kol and walked into the living room. Stefan had turned his attention to the fallen Mikaelson sister; giving her his blood.

Freya sat up and looked around them, a scowl on her face. "Where is he? I'm going to turn his bones to dust and his blood into lava!" she seethed, moving to get up and then her legs gave out. Matt caught her, sitting back down on the couch. "Thank you," she muttered.

"You _killed_ me," Davina stated, glaring at Freya.

" _Davina_ ," Kol began when Davina held up a hand. " _Kol_ killed me, but he couldn't control his actions. You _allowed_ the ancestors to _torture_ me, Freya."

"Can we put aside our differences for a minute? We've got a psychopath on his way _here_." Stefan looked around the room. "Wouldn't it be better if we spent our time figuring out where to be when he gets here?"

"Right after we send Kol _back_ to hell!" Damon said, moving to get off the opposite couch from Freya.

Freya's expression darkened, her eyes narrowing and her hand rising. Damon grabbed his head, falling back on the couch he'd been laying on. "Stop!" Elena shouted at Freya, running to Damon's side.

Bonnie glared at Freya and moved swiftly toward the witch. "Stop or I _will_ kill you!" she ordered Freya, placing a knife to Freya's neck who looked up at her, a dark smile on her face.

"Enough!" Caroline shouted. "My kids are right upstairs. They're scared and all of you are threatening to kill each other is not helping. What's going to help is figuring out how to stop Kai Parker!" Looking around the room at her friends and the other people gathered, she sucked in a calming breathe before she continued. "We need a plan to stop Kai. That's all I care about right now and if you have a problem with that, get the hell out!" She pointed at the door and waited.

Everyone in the room stopped what they'd been doing and waited. Stefan nodded at Caroline before continuing. "I think that it would be better if Caroline and the rest of us split up. Kai will believe that you have the girls, so it's better if he has to track both of us down."

"He's also after me and Bonnie," Valerie added, appearing in the middle of the room, startling everyone.

"Where in the hell did you come from?" Damon demanded, glaring at Valerie.

"I didn't find anything," Valerie told Stefan. "He's not here. Yet."

Damon looked annoyed that he'd been left out of whatever Stefan and Valerie had been up to. " _Fine_ ," he grumbled. "I don't need to know."

Rolling her eyes, Caroline looked at Stefan. "Damon and I will go with Elena and Valerie. Caroline, who should go with Kol, his sister and Davina?"

"And _who_ is taking the children?" Valerie asked the question that was on Caroline's lips.

"Bonnie's stronger than any of us," Stefan pointed out. "The girls can cloak themselves and Bonnie. She can take them out-of-the-country."

Bonnie shook her head. "I don't think it's a good idea for Kai to have three of his targets together."

" _So_?" Damon looked at Bonnie. "You come with _us_. Caroline takes one of the Wonder Twins 2.0. Valerie takes the other twin and pulls a disappearing act."

"New plan," Caroline snapped. "I take _both_ my girls. The girls need me. I'm the only parent they have left. Kol, Freya and Davina can keep us safe. Bonnie, you go with Damon, Stefan, Valerie, Elena and Matt. Kai's bound to go after you, or us, but, like, you said, it is better that he doesn't have _everything_ he wants. Otherwise, he'll just disappear and we may _never_ find you."

Damon opened his mouth to interrupt when everyone began moving. Caroline ran up the stairs. "Girls," she called. The girls came out of their hiding place. "We're going on another trip," she told them.

" _Where_ , Mommy?" Lizzie asked her.

"It's a _surprise_. Even Mommy doesn't know," Caroline told them. She took their hands and then walked back downstairs.

Stefan stood by the door; waiting for them. "Be safe," he told her and she nodded, gave him a quick hug and then left the house.

Kol followed them with Davina at his side and Freya following them. She kept looking around like she expected Kai to appear at any second. It made Caroline nervous. She wished Klaus were with them.

 **Toronto, Canada:**

Caroline felt exhausted by the time that they got to their destination. It felt like days but had been less than twenty-four hours before the private plane that Kol had compelled for them brought them to their destination.

"Mommy, will you sing to us?" Lizzie asked and Caroline nodded. She couldn't think of a single song for some reason. Her head felt numb.

"Like _this_ , Mommy," Josie began to hum a song that Caroline had never heard before and she hummed it with them. They continued humming until the girls fell asleep, and Caroline got up, heading back to her room.

Freya sat by the window. They were sharing an adjoining room with the twins because it would feel weird sharing a room with Kol and Davina now that they were reunited. They probably wanted some privacy.

Sighing, Caroline began to hum the tune again. "What are you _doing_?" Freya's husky voice snapped her out of her thoughts.

" _Huh_?" Caroline looked to Freya who looked horrified. "What are you talking about?"

" _That_ _song_?" Freya snapped, moving quickly to grab Caroline by the upper arms. " _Where_ did you hear that song?"

"The girls just taught it to me," Caroline replied.

"No!" Freya cried, running to the adjoining door and yanking it open.

A window stood open, wind blowing through it, and a flower lay on the empty bed. "What's _that_?" Caroline demanded, speeding forward and grabbing the flower.

"A black _dahlia_ ," Freya moaned. " _She's_ _back_."

"Who is back?" Caroline snapped.

"Our aunt. She's after _Hope_!" Freya pulled out her phone.

"Where are _my_ _kids_?" Caroline shouted at Freya.

"I don't know. This _doesn't_ make sense. She _only_ wanted the _first_ - _borns_ of _my_ _family_ ," Freya shook her head, looking devastated.

Caroline ran to the window, peering into the black night and seeing nothing. The night seemed so still except for the faint sound of that song; being hummed in the distance.

 **Thank you for reading, faving, following and reviewing.**

 **Answer to guest review: Thank you. I hope you enjoyed this chapter, too.**

 **Peace,**

 **Jessica**


	14. Chapter 14

**Hello, my lovely readers. We're going to globe-trotting in this chapter and there is a whole lot of drama. On with the show…**

Chapter 13: All the Devils are Here

 **Cape Town, South Africa:**

Humans surrounded them on all sides as the Mystic Falls Gang—plus one—made their way through the swarming masses. Damon had chosen their destination which left Bonnie rolling her eyes. She suppressed the urge to punch a guy who ran into her, his hand grazing her behind. There are jackasses world-wide.

"Let's move a _little_ quicker," Damon called to her.

Bonnie narrowed her eyes and picked up the pace. She could outrun most of the people here. She could probably outrun a cheetah; if she had to. Thankfully, the likelihood of running into one—where they were—was low. She hoped.

They left the airport and Stefan slid into the passenger seat beside his brother. Both vampires seemed to be on edge. Stefan's eyes kept searching every face they encountered. His phone rested in his hand, fingers flicking the screen, checking for messages that had not, or would not come in.

Damon glanced in the rearview mirror. "Ready to take in some shopping and all things tourist-y?" he wriggled his eyebrows at them.

"We're _not on_ vacation, Damon," Valerie snapped at him. Her eyes were closed and Bonnie sensed she was trying to control her temper. What they really needed would be for the siphoner in the group to lose all control.

Undeterred, Damon grinned at them. "No, but nothing says fitting in like being one with the crowd."

Valerie's eyes snapped open. "I do not have time for this _foolishness_. I came here to help protect the twins. Not to go shopping." Folding her arms over her chest, she turned her face from the rest of the group.

Elena broke in. "Damon, maybe we should find a hotel, and then call Caroline."

Damon rolled his eyes. "Hotel? You _think_ I'm going to make you stay in a hotel?"

" _Where_ are we going, Damon?" Stefan asked, looking wary.

Perking up, Damon turned the car and moved toward a winding driveway. "We're going to be staying at the home of a friend of mine."

" _Friend_?" Elena queried.

Bonnie glanced at Elena who looked back at her with wide, suspicious eyes.

Matt jumped in before Bonnie could comment. "Is it Charlize Therone? I always wanted to meet her."

For a moment Bonnie felt normal—like they were not being stalked by a psychopathic, resurrected, all-powerful Heretic. She felt like she was fifteen, and she, Elena and Matt were talking about their celeb crushes, not on the run.

"No, Busboy, it's _not_ Charlize," Damon grumbled. " _Unless_ she started sporting fangs." Parking the rental car, Damon got out and led the way to the front of the house. He lifted a cement pot that probably weighed a hundred pounds with his fingertips before nudging a gold colored key under his boot and onto the walkway.

" _Damon_ ," Stefan began, glancing up from his phone. "Your friend does _know_ we're going to be staying here, right?"

" _Sure_ ," Damon replied, picking up the key with a smile. "And what she does _not_ know won't hurt her."

" _She_?" Elena repeated.

"Damon," Stefan groaned.

Damon held up a hand while unlocking the door. "Hold that thought. Cass, you home?" he called. When no one answered, Damon stepped inside the house and peered around. "Looks like we're in luck."

"Damon," Stefan called, walking into the house.

Bonnie and Elena traded looks before entering the house. Valerie and Matt followed them inside. "I think we _should_ leave," Valerie said.

"Oh, _come_ _on_ ," Damon replied, already on the staircase. "No one's here. I don't know what you're freakin' about. Just sit back and _relax_. Take in the view. Cass's bedroom has one of the most amazing views in the whole town –"

"And _how_ would you know that?" Elena snapped.

"Because –" Damon began when a sound came from behind him. Instinctively Bonnie dropped into a fighting stance. Turning around, Damon held out his arms. " _Cass_! Hey, I was just talking about you. How ya been?"

Cass' black eyes bore into Bonnie from the top of the staircase. "All the devils are here. And they are here to stay," she told them, a wide smile revealing her sharp fangs before she withdrew a crossbow from behind her back and shot Damon in the chest.

"Cass, what the _hell_?" Damon cried when his "friend" shot at Stefan who blurred out of the way.

"All the heroes _die_ ," Cass sang and then she pulled out a lighter.

"Cass?" Damon said as Stefan appeared behind Damon's friend and staked her. " _No_!" Damon cried out.

The lighter went flying and the stairs lit up, burning brightly. "Kerosene," Valerie cried. " _That_ was what I smelled when we came in."

Moving past Valerie, Bonnie grabbed Elena and Matt, jerking them toward the door. Bonnie opened it to find two people she least wanted to see: Nora and Mary Louise. Why hadn't they killed them when they had the chance?

"Oh, look who's trapped with no chance of escape?" Mary Louise pouted before grinning and holding up her hand. Nora did the same and Bonnie tried to force her way past the magical barrier that the two siphoners were using to keep them in, but could not. They were going to die in here.

 **Mystic Falls, Virginia:**

"Feelin' homesick?" Marcel inquired and Elijah narrowed his eyes at his traveling companion. If he could choose anyone in the world he would rather be stuck with he would have a million candidates in mind. 

"Quite," Elijah retorted. His concentration remained on the task at hand—find Malachi Parker and dispatch him before returning home to his family. "I think this trip will be made easier if we do not speak to one another."

"Fine by me," Marcel retorted, ever the sullen child.

Pretending that Marcel was not there gave Elijah some semblance of peace. If only his anger would cease. The increasing need to stab, punch of rip parts of Marcel came unbidden to his mind over and over again. From the dark look on Marcel's face, Elijah believed he, too, held violent visions of their journey. It was only for Klaus' and Rebekah's sake—as well as his own guilt that Elijah did not act on said fantasies.

They neared the Salvatore Boarding House and Elijah's ear perked up for any familiar sounds. Surely Miss Gilbert would be within. Or one if not both Salvatores, always near to protect the girl.

The lack of noise made Elijah pause. "What's wrong? Tie on crooked?" Marcel taunted him, stopping, hands on his hips.

Gritting his teeth, Elijah held up a hand. "Quiet, Marcellus."

"My name is –" Marcel began when Elijah sent him a piercing look, his forefinger grazing his own lips with a slight shake of his head. Marcel frowned but closed his mouth.

Elijah's relief was short-lived when a figure went shooting across the road and into the Salvatore's home. Surely not. Pivoting on one foot, Elijah attempted to reconcile what he knew to be true with the vision he had just had.

"What is it, Elijah?" Marcel hissed, moving closer to him.

"I…" Elijah did not finish his thought. Instead he strode toward the house. Some part of him felt as if this were a trap. He should tell Marcel to go. Turning, he placed a hand on Marcel's shoulder.

Marcel glanced at Elijah's hand and then glared at him. "Yeah?"

"You should go," Elijah said quietly.

Shaking his head, Marcel scoffed. "Go where and do what?"

"Go home. Go back to Rebekah. She will keep Niklaus' rage at bay, for now," Elijah said, his eyes moving back to the home of the Salvatores. A flash of dark curls flew by an upper window.

"Yeah. Sure. And like I'm going to rely on you to keep Davina safe. After you and Freya let her be tortured. I don't think so." Marcel moved to walk past Elijah.

Whirling around, Elijah grasped Marcel by the shoulders and twisted him around to face him. "You took years from me, Marcellus. And, still, when I had the opportunity to strike you a blow, I staid my hand. Now, I ask you to do me this one thing: Leave." Staring into Marcel's eyes, Elijah hoped that the pig-headed young vampire would do as he asked.

Nodding, Marcel stepped back. "Fine. You want me out of the way. I'll go. You had better hope that Davina comes home, alive, or so help me –"

"Yes. I know." Elijah stepped around Marcel and waited to hear his nemesis' receding footsteps before he walked up the pathway and to the house. Placing his hand on the doorknob; he found that it opened without effort. Yes. If there had been a large, glowing sign above the door reading: Trap, it would not be more obvious.

Twisting the knob, Elijah entered the house. "I must warn you, I am not in a particularly forgiving mood of late, please, do not try what little patience I have left," Elijah called, stepping over the threshold and looking around. His eyes peering into every dark corner of the house.

"That's okay. I kind of like it when you're angry; it's a turn-on," a voice from his not-so-distant past came from upstairs and Elijah darted up them.

"In here, Elijah," she called and Elijah stepped into Damon's bedroom.

Katherine stood, one hand on her hip, a long gown showing off every part of the woman he had once worshipped like a goddess. "Did you miss me?" she inquired with a smirk.

"Katerina?" Elijah replied, feeling his throat closing. He had heard of her passing through Niklaus. At the time Elijah's primary concern was the safety of his niece. Had he known of Katherine's adventures, he would have intervened, attempted to talk some sense into her. Surely she had to know that her plot to gain control of Elena's body would end in tragedy.

"In the flesh," Katherine said, her eyes sparkling with humor.

Stepping closer, Elijah started to reach out to touch her when a sharp pain in his neck made him drop to his knees. His vision swam and he looked to his left to find the man he pursued standing above him. "Wow. You're right, that was easy," Kai told Katherine who shrugged.

"Elijah always did have a weakness for dopplegangers," Katherine said, coming to stand over Elijah, tilting her head to the side and peering down at Elijah who clutched his neck.

"Katherine?" Elijah whispered, feeling the power of werewolf's venom coursing through his body. "What have you done?"

"Not what I've done. What I'm going to do," Katherine said with a smile. "You couldn't even be bothered to come and see me when I was dying. And then I find out it's because you're too busy with your little wolf slut, Hayley Marshall; could you be more cliché? Chasing the girl pregnant with your brother's child, Elijah. Tsk tsk. I thought you were better than that. So much for the noble brother."

Shaking her head, Katherine stepped around him. "No wonder I chose Stefan in the end."

"Where are you going?" Elijah called after her.

"Where else? I'm going down to New Orleans to pay your new girlfriend a visit. Don't wait up," Katherine walked out of the doorway while Elijah laid on the floor, watching her leave.

"All alone," Kai said with a chuckle. "Hell, I thought she'd never leave. Now, you and I are going to play a little game called 'Kai kills an Original.' I know, I know, doesn't sound very, well, original, but I just got back from hell, so color me rusty." Picking up an axe, Kai hefted it in his hands. "See, I hear that this won't kill ya but I bet it's going to hurt, a lot."

Elijah watched Kai lift the axe to behead him when the Heretic went flying across the room. Marcel grabbed Elijah, hauling him off the floor. "That's for dumping me on the side of the road, you maniac."

"I thought I told you to go," Elijah grunted.

"And you think I was going to listen?" Marcel shook his head, speeding them out the front door. "Just saw a doppleganger on the way out of here, any idea where she's off to?"

"New Orleans," Elijah ground out, feeling the world becoming a very fuzzy place.

"Great," Marcel grunted, pushing Elijah into a car and getting behind the wheel. He peeled rubber out of the driveway. On their way onto the road, they found the Heretic who refused to die.

"Tag, you're it!" Kai said, tossing the axe at the driver's side of the car. Marcel slid down in the seat, slamming his foot down on the accelerator and Elijah saw a blur of something fly over the hood of the car and then they were going down the road. He hoped they got home before it was too late.

 **New Orleans, Louisiana:**

Tossing and turning on her bed, Hope Mikaelson slept fitfully. Something worse was coming than she had seen in her short life, something that might spell the end for her entire family. She sat bolt upright. Her breath came out in great gusts, creating steam in the warm room.

"Mom!" Hope cried out.

Seconds later her mother sat beside her, her arms wrapping Hope in an embrace. "I'm here, baby. What's wrong?"

"Where's Dad?" Hope cried, pulling back to look her mother in the eye.

A dark look came over her mother's face but disappeared almost as quickly. "He's gone out to the bayou. He needed to talk to some people." The emphasis she placed on the word talk made Hope feel wary. She knew that her father only did what he needed to protect them but it worried her.

"He should come back," Hope said, crossing her legs and giving her mother a long look. "It's not safe."

"It's not safe in the bayou?" Hayley let out a gentle laugh. "Honey, your dad can take care of himself."

"It's not safe," Hope repeated. "Anywhere."

Hayley's mouth opened but she could not seem to be able to formulate a reply. "She's probably right, you know," Aunt Rebekah's voice sounded from the doorway and Hope glanced over at her aunt who pushed off the doorframe.

"Rebekah –" Hayley began when Rebekah held up a hand.

"I'm not trying to scare the girl," Rebekah said, smiling at Hope. "Although she is a Mikaelson and is made of much tougher stuff than many people in this world." Her eyes moved back to Hayley. "I've tried calling Kol and Elijah. Nothing in reply. Nor has Marcel rung back. Does that not give you pause?"

Hayley frowned, rubbing Hope's back. "I don't think that we should be talking about this—here." Her head tilted toward Hope for a fraction of a second.

"Mom, I'm fine," Hope said quietly. "But Josie and Lizzie aren't."

"What?" Hayley looked at Hope. "What do you mean?" Aunt Rebekah moved closer to the bed, her hand moving to rest near Hope's right hand.

Hope sucked in a big breath. "I… I feel them. They're alone. And they're scared. I think… I…"

"You can tell us, sweetheart," Aunt Rebekah said, sounding so much like her father.

Hope looked from her mother to her aunt. "I think that Dahlia took them."

"Dahlia?" Hayley's eyes widened and her head turned to Rebekah. Her mother stood up, her hands on her hips. "How do you know about Dahlia, Hope?"

Hope looked at her bedspread. "I peeked at Uncle Elijah's journals. He wrote about his aunt—the one who tried to take me away—when I was a baby. And I think she took Caroline's kids." Her eyes moved up to her mother's. "They're scared, Mom. We have to help them. We have to find them."

"This is too much," Hayley said, shaking her head.

"Hope, your mother and I are going to go have a quick chat," Aunt Rebekah said and Hayley leaned down to kiss Hope on the forehead.

Hope stopped herself from asking her mother to not go. She felt like the darkness of her room stirred with ghosts and magic. Magic she had no control over. It scared her more than anything else in the world. But she had to be brave. Her dad was brave. And her brother. And her whole family. She could be, too.

The sound of Aunt Rebekah's voice saying that she had to go find Marcel came from downstairs. "God knows what he's done this time. He might be part of this. Or he can help us stop Dahlia and whatever is out there, coming for us."

"Rebekah, I think you should be looking for Elijah, not your ex who wasted no time moving onto someone else. A someone else who might be part of this thing!" Hayley snapped.

"Right. Well. Give the little one my love. I will be back," Rebekah swore and Hope heard her mother's muttered curses.

For a short time there was silence. Then Hope heard her mother let out a gasp. "What is happening to me?"

"Mom?" Hope cried out.

The air in her room sounded like it shifted and Hope pulled the covers around her closer. "Uhhhh," her mother groaned downstairs. "Help me," her mother moaned and Hope pushed the covers away from her.

Moving quickly to the staircase, Hope ran, barefoot down the stairs and around the corner. Her mother lay on her back, her eyes tightly closed, breathing slowly. "Mommy?" Hope cried out, giving her a shake.

Hope felt tears forming behind her eyelids as she gave Hayley another, rougher, shake. "Mommy!" she cried out.

Hayley's eyelids snapped open and she stared at Hope with a confused, uncomprehending expression before she rolled onto her side, her hair falling over her side. She glanced around the room like she'd never seen it before.

"Mom?" Hope called, feeling her stomach pitch. "Mom?"

Hayley's eyes finally settled on Hope and a smile appeared on her face. Hope involuntarily scooted away an inch when Hayley's hand moved to touch her. "Hey," Hayley's voice said, arms moving forward to embrace Hope who shivered. "Hey, baby," her mother's lips grazed her temple.

"Mom?" Hope muttered.

"Uh-huh," Hayley pulled back, cupping Hope's cheek. "It's okay, honey. Mom just felt kind of sick for a moment."

"And you are better now?" Hope said, watching her mother closely.

"Yes. I feel much better." Hayley stood up and stretched. "You know what?" she asked, helping Hope to her feet. "I think we should go out. Just the two of us and get some ice cream? Does that sound good?"

Hope shook her head. "I want to wait for Dad."

Hayley bent down. "I'm sure he won't mind. We can leave a note."

Shaking her head, again, Hope took a step back. "I'm going to wait, here."

Sighing, Hayley rolled her eyes. "You're going to make this hard on me, aren't you, kid?"

"You're not my mom," Hope said.

"No. I am not your mom," the woman wearing her mother's face said and then she grinned, showing her mother's hybrid face.

Hope let out a scream and ran for the stairs. The woman chased her, grabbing her by the waist and her hand clamped over Hope's nose and mouth. "And if you weren't such a spoiled little brat, this would have been much easier," the woman whispered as Hope felt darkness enfolding her.

Bayou, New Orleans:

Klaus glanced from right to left. He was not entirely sure what he thought he would find out here. Perhaps he would pick a fight with what was left of the Crescent Clan. Hayley would not be happy but he could care less what she thought at the moment. All that mattered was that Caroline had been here, that she left and he could not get in touch with her. None of his minions had been in contact and he was seething with frustration.

Kol had not been in contact which was not shocking to Klaus. It was Freya and Elijah's lapses in responding to his messages—of which there were many—that left him irate. They should have contacted him with news of where they were and how they were by now.

If that blasted Heretic harmed Elijah, Klaus would scorch the earth in search of him before he would scatter his bits about the world.

A tree branch snapped close by and Klaus' head snapped up. Whirling on his heel, he turned to find no one there. Gritting his teeth, he moved onward. When a rock went sailing by his head, Klaus lost his temper. "Whoever you are, reveal yourselves and I might show you mercy." A smile on his face, he turned in a slow circle. He would delight in a fresh kill.

"If your enemy came from behind you, boy, you'd already be dead," the voice he least wanted to ever hear again sounded from mere feet away.

Klaus turned to find Mikael just as Mikael shot an arrow at his head. "Father," he said, deftly grabbing the arrow right before it would have lodged itself in his right eyeball. "To whom do I owe the displeasure?"

"The devil, boy. Hell has opened and all the devils are out to play," Mikael replied with a wide smile. "Are you ready?"

"Oh, yes," Klaus said, feeling all of his rage zeroing in on a worthy target. "Shall we?" he added before launching himself at his father. Today, only one of them would leave alive.

 **Thank you for reading, faving, following and reviewing.**

 **Answer to guest reviews:**

 **Shay: Thank you for reviewing and I hope you enjoyed this chapter.**

 **Peace,**

 **Jessica**


	15. Chapter 15

**Hello, my lovely readers. Sorry about the long wait for the next chapter of this fic. I hope you enjoy it. On with the show…**

Chapter 14: All is Lost

Clasping hands, Lizzie and Josie Saltzman felt terrified as the old woman with the long black hair strode along the street. Others glanced at them, but at the looks the woman sent their way their eyes turned away. The two girls wished they could go back to the hotel, to their mother and safety.

"Come along, girls," the woman said. She glanced over her shoulder at them. Her dark eyes pierced them and Lizzie gulped. Josie's hand tightened in her sister's.

They could make themselves invisible, but they no longer remembered where the hotel was. The woman who took them from the room had taken them on a path that wound, round and round, until they no longer knew which way was which. It felt like a fairytale. A not very nice one. Not like the ones that their mom told them about Princesses.

Josie spoke up first. "Where are we going?" she called to the woman.

It had been Josie who heard the pretty humming from their room. She'd gone to the window and peered outside. Lizzie came to join her sister. "What's that?" Josie whispered to Lizzie, looking around for the source of the music.

"I don't know," Lizzie replied. Then she spotted a woman below them. She smiled up at them and then began to hum. She held a flower clasped in her hands.

"I want a flower," Josie said. "Hi, Lady. Can I have one?" she called.

"You're not supposed to talk to strangers!" Lizzie hissed at her sister.

The two girls looked over their shoulders, waiting to see if their mother heard them. When no one came, they turned back to see that the woman had left.

"I guess she's gone," Josie said glumly.

"I'm cold," Lizzie said, shivering. When mom came in she would ask her to close their window.

The sisters moved to go to bed when they heard a soft click and they saw the lock to their room moving to unlatch. Eyes rounding, Lizzie made a run for the door, to snap the lock back into place, but she was too late. The woman stood in the door, her flower in her hand. "Hello, children," she greeted them.

"Hi," Josie said. "Can I have that?" she walked across the room and extended her hand for the flower.

"We're not supposed to take gifts from strangers," Lizzie admonished her sister who glared back at her.

The woman let out a chuckle that sounded like leaves crunching under their winter boots. "This flower is for one I once held dear," she sniffed the flower and then held it out to Josie. "If you will be a dear and lie it on the bed for her."

Lizzie stood, stiff with fright as her sister took the flower and ran to the bed. She laid the flower on the pillow and then returned to her sister's side. "What kind is it?" Josie inquired.

"Oh, it's a dahlia," the woman said, her eyes sparkling.

"Mommy's coming back soon," Lizzie informed the woman.

The woman peered into the hallway before she turned back to the girls. Kneeling, she looked from Josie to Lizzie. "I can take you to find flowers. And the best kinds of magic."

Sucking in a breath, Lizzie could no longer help herself. "You know about magic?" she queried.

"Oh, yes, my child. I'm a very powerful witch," the woman said. Extending her hands, she nodded for Lizzie to siphon some.

Not being able to stop herself, Lizzie smiled and took the woman's hands. Her body tingled at the feel of something so old she could not remember ever feeling a magic this delicious. It was better than all the candy, ever. "Try some, Josie," she said, grinning.

Josie looked to the woman, who nodded, and Josie took some magic for herself. Pulling back, she giggled. "You're super powerful."

"I am," the woman said. "Will you come with me, so I can show you where the real power lies?" Her eyes moved from one sister to the other.

Neither girl was stupid but they were enjoying the feel of the magic coursing through them. And Mom never let them have this much magic. She was scared they would hurt each other, or, worse, someone else.

"Okay," Lizzie said, taking Josie's hand, she moved toward the woman.

"We'll have to be extra quiet," the woman told them.

"Okay," the girls said, nodding at her.

~0~

"I want to go back," Lizzie complained.

The woman stopped and looked down at the girls. "You don't want more magic?" she asked them in a soft tone.

"No," Lizzie said, feeling her eyes pooling. "I want my mommy."

"Well, that is too bad," the woman said and then she grabbed Lizzie by the shoulders. Lizzie let out a cry and then her world began to spin. "Come along, unless you want your sister to come to harm," the woman said and Lizzie could hear Josie let out a whimper before the world spun away.

~0~

"Where could they be?" Freya said. Her hands moved to her hair and she felt frantic. This could not be. They killed her Aunt. She died with Mother. This was impossible.

"What's going on in here?" Kol's voice startled Freya. He strode into the room with a sleep-deprived looking Davina.

"Dahlia, she's taken the girls," Freya exhaled. She could not even believe that these words were coming out of her mouth.

Kol's face turned a shade paler. "Why would she want Caroline's children? They're not Mikaelsons? She only wanted the first-borns of our family?" Freya nodded, wordless and paralyzed as her greatest nightmare became a reality. She would never know peace.

Caroline ripped her phone out of her jeans pocket. "The plan failed. We're going back," she told them. The look on her face did not broker any type of argument. "Pack your stuff. We're on the first flight back to New Orleans."

Nodding, Freya returned to her own room and began to stuff her things into her bag. She felt tears running down her cheeks and jerked when Kol's hand fell onto her shoulder.

"Sorry," Kol muttered, lifting his hand to run it through his hair. "You must be wishing you had Elijah on this little misadventure."

Sniffling, Freya shook her head, zipping her bag with a shaking hand. "No. Kol, I'm glad you're here. We need everyone. Family is power. We stopped Dahlia once, we can do it again."

"You forget, sister. I missed that tale, given the whole being dead bit. Again," Kol sat down on the bed.

Freya turned to him, leaning against the dresser to steady herself. "Shouldn't you be packing?"

Kol shook his head. "Call me sexist, but I'm allowing Davina to do it for me. I thought it might give us a chance to chat about our role in this new drama."

"Oh?" Freya whipped her cheeks with the back of her hand.

"I don't want Davina to be part of this. So, we'll be leaving." Freya's eyes widened at the Kol's words. He could not mean to abandon their family, not when they needed him the most. "Davina became collateral damage thanks to the foul role that we have played with the ancestors. I will be damned if I will allow her to come to harm, now that I have a third chance with her. And you know what they say about the third time…" Offering a smile to soften the blow, Kol crossed the room and hugged Freya. "I will help if I can, but Davina and I need to sit this one out, as much as we can."

Caroline stalked into the room. "Are you ready?" she asked them, her own bag already over her shoulder. "The plane's leaving in the next two hours."

"What makes you think that Dahlia returned to New Orleans?" Kol asked Caroline, crossing his arms over his chest and glancing at Freya.

Shifting from foot to foot, her patience palpable, Caroline sighed heavily. "Because this is not a kidnapping. This is an exchange." She looked at the Original siblings. "Obviously Dahlia took my girls because she wants something someone else has because, as Freya already said—she wanted first-borns of Mikaelson descent. She knows my girls are not part of your lineage. Which means…" This is where Caroline's expression closed off and she looked sick.

"Which means someone else has taken Hope," Freya finished for Caroline, her heart already sinking with the possibilities of who could have taken her. Their enemies were world-wide. And there were too many possible candidates who could have taken the youngest Mikaelson.

"I should call Klaus," Freya said.

"Do it from the car," Caroline retorted, turning and moving to the door.

Freya hugged Kol. "Be safe, brother."

Davina arrived at the door at the same time that Caroline opened it. "Good. You're ready. Let's go," Caroline said, stepping around the shorter girl and moving down the hallway.

Sighing, Freya followed Caroline. It was only when they stepped onto the elevator that Caroline paused. "Where are Kol and Davina?" she demanded.

"They have their own journey to embark on," Freya replied.

Shaking her head, Caroline gritted her teeth and stabbed at the down button. "In other words, they ditched us? His own niece has probably been kidnapped by some random psychopath and he's got to go off on a trip with his honey." Letting out a hoarse laugh, Caroline shook her head at the closed elevator doors. "Why am I not surprised?"

"He's worried about Davina dying, again," Freya stated, following Caroline off the elevator.

Whirling on her heel, Caroline held up a finger, wagging it in Freya's face. "Everyone should be scared of dying. You. Me. Kol. Davina. Klaus. The gir—" Pausing, Caroline took a long, deep breath, eyes closing before she re-opened them. "Kol doesn't want to help. Fine. We've still got you, me, Klaus, Hayley, Marcel, Elijah, Stefan, Elena, Bonnie, Matt and Valerie. Hell, we even have Damon. So, that should be plenty to find our kids and tear our enemies to pieces with."

"You sound like Klaus," Freya said as they left through the sliding doors and the bell boy outside nodded at them.

Caroline chuckled. "Right now, I feel a lot like Klaus."

"Which is a very comforting thought indeed," Freya sighed, rolling her eyes and sliding into the passenger side of Caroline's rental car. Withdrawing her phone, Freya hit three on her speed dial list and waited for Niklaus to pick up.

After a long time the answering machine came on. "There's something wrong. Klaus is not picking up." Freya shoved her phone back into her pocket. She did not relish the idea of trying to do magic to find Klaus in a speeding car, but she would try; if she had to.

"Try mine." Caroline pulled out her phone and tossed it to Freya.

Finding Klaus' name as a contact on Caroline's phone; Freya did not risk asking why. She simply made the call. When the line did not go through, Freya felt her stomach twirl. Something was definitely wrong with Niklaus if he refused a call from Caroline.

"He's still not answering?" Caroline inquired, pulling up toward the airport.

"No," Freya shook her head.

"Right. That's great. So, we're down Klaus. Taking her phone, Caroline began to make calls at the same time that Freya did. "Come on, Stefan," Caroline cried on their way toward the front entrance of the airport.

"Rebekah, if you get this message, please, call me back. It is important." Freya hung up and called number two on her speed dial. "Elijah, pick up. Pick up!" she cried when the phone connected. "Elijah!"

"Freya, there is a problem," Elijah said.

"You bet there's a problem," Marcel added. "Your know-it-all brother's crazy ex is up to something. And it's nothing good."

"Which crazy ex?" Caroline's demanded, and Freya looked over to see the girl had finished with her own calls. From the look on her face, they did not go well which meant they had even less help than they'd originally estimated.

"Katherine," Elijah retorted. "Caroline. Freya. Tell me that the girls are fine?"

"Aunt Dahlia is back. She took them," Freya related, feeling her stomach twist.

"Great," Marcel groaned. "Anyone heard from Klaus?"

"No," Caroline called out to them. The look of fear on her face made Freya's temper rise. If any harm came to Hope, or Klaus, Freya would make those who harmed them suffer unimaginable torment.

"Katherine said she was going after Hayley," Elijah told them.

"I'll call Hayley," Caroline said, already pressing buttons. She tucked her hair behind her ear and then narrowed her eyes. "Hayley, hey, I just wanted to check up on you. It looks like Klaus might be missing… You haven't seen him, lately, have you?"

Another pause and Caroline's eyes rounded. "Oh, he's looking for me? Really?"

Freya frowned, Niklaus knew they left. Why on earth would he think that Caroline was there? It did not make sense. Unless he thought they had returned. Or Caroline returned, for some unforeseen complication with their plan? No, someone had tricked her brother and Freya suspected she already knew who it was.

"Right. Okay. Be careful. And give Hope my love," Caroline said. She hung up and glared at her phone. "Katherine is in Hayley's body. She has Hope."

"That bitch," Marcel snarled.

"Marcellus, calm yourself," Elijah stated through gritted teeth.

Marcel let out a growl. "This is your fault. It's your crazy ex who took the best part of any of us!"

"This is not the time to argue!" Freya cried out as she and Caroline moved to join the other people in the line. "We'll be returning shortly. Then we can figure out how to stop our enemies."

"Sure. It always works so well," Marcel grumbled.

"See you soon," Elijah said, disconnecting the call.

Freya just hoped they arrived home before any member of the family died or the exchange was made. If not, they might never get the girls back, alive.

 **Bayou, New Orleans:**

Klaus flew through the air. His primary concern was his daughter. However, to ensure her safety it seemed he would have to defeat his great enemy, Mikael. Again.

"Is that all you have, boy?" Mikael hissed, a smile on his face that used to terrify Klaus as a boy. Now, it simply made him furious.

Eyes turning yellow, Klaus grinned, showing off his fangs. "I'm just warming up, Father." Launching himself at his father, Klaus let out a cry when a piece of white oak stake lodged itself inside his sternum. Staring into the eyes of his father, Klaus shook his head while Mikael pushed it closer and closer to his heart. "No," Klaus gasped, feeling sweat beginning to pool at his temples while he fought to stay alive. If he died, all was lost.

"Caroline," Klaus muttered to himself and then began to push the stake back and away from his chest.

Hearing the satisfying sound of Mikael's wrist snapping, Klaus exhaled and then he brought the stake down and shoved it through Mikael's heart. Klaus took a step back, to watch Mikael burn. When nothing happened, Klaus cocked his head to the side. He felt confused.

Laughing, Mikael jerked the stake out of his chest and then pushed himself to his feet. "Don't you understand? Boy! You cannot win. Not when all the devils are here?"

Shaking his head, Klaus placed his hands to the sides of his head. "What nonsense are you muttering about? Is hell so boring you've gone mad? Not that you were the most sane of creatures to begin with, but this is far from an improvement." Klaus felt his wrath wrap around his heart and all he could do was stare at his enemy.

If the White Oak Stake could not defeat Mikael, what options did Klaus have to defeat his greatest enemy? His wit? Smirking at his own thoughts, Klaus watched Mikael heft the stake. "This cannot hurt me. This is not my place of torment." Pointing the stake at Klaus, Mikael continued to circle him. "It is yours."

"And my punishment is listening to the ramblings of my dead enemy?" Klaus surmised with a grin.

Mikael sneered back. "You've always been a fool, Niklaus. And you are a fool to raise a girl. Supposedly the most gifted witch to ever have been born, if the rumors are to be trusted?"

A frown marred Klaus' face. "What do you care who raises Hope?"

Letting out a bitter laugh, Mikael looked around them. "I could care less what happens to your demon spawn. It is she who has come to collect your child. She who took mine and ruined my only chance at happiness." Choking on his words, Mikael's expression became one of fury and Klaus forced himself to not take an instinctive step back.

"You once asked me to do battle, to save our daughters. And you betrayed me, Niklaus," Mikael accused, his blue eyes tearing through Klaus.

Eyes falling to the dirt below his feet, Klaus waited for further indictment of his countless sins from the man who showed him no love. When Mikael did not speak up, Klaus looked up. "Is that it?"

"I reached for you, boy. When you murdered me, again. I reached for you," Mikael ground out. "Because… In spite of my unending desire to see your life a misery such as my unending torment… You are my son."

Blinking, Klaus could not believe this was true. It must be a trick. A witch's spell. Mikael would never utter those words.

"Whoever you are, you can stop with these lies," Klaus shouted, pointing a finger at those who remained unseen. "I will find you. And I will end you!" Klaus roared into the darkness.

When Mikael sped toward Klaus, gripping him by the shoulders, Klaus could not fight back. "You must wake, Niklaus. Time is running out. Be a Mikaelson!" he roared into Klaus' face.

Klaus' eyes snapped open and he found that he lay in the bayou. A searing pain in his chest sent his eyes to his chest. Fingers fumbling to rip his shirt open, Klaus' claws extended and he tore Papa Tunde's blade from his chest. "Blasted hell," he groaned.

"Enjoy your nap, Niklaus?" Mikael's inquiry sent Klaus' eyes upward.

Mikael stood over him. But he did wield the stake. His hand moved toward Klaus and Klaus felt strange as he took it, allowing Mikael to drag him to his feet. "Come to kill me, Father?" Klaus inquired.

"I've come to help you. But you had to be tested first," Mikael retorted. He let go of Klaus' hand and marched toward the paved road. "I assume you brought a car. We're already behind the vampire."

"What?" Klaus still felt confused.

"You knew her as Katherine. Never liked the girl," Mikael stated when Klaus caught up with him. "She planned on taking your child and offering her to Dahlia."

"She what?" Klaus hissed, stopping and grabbing Mikael's arm. "How do you know this?"

Mikael chuckled. "I've been in hell, boy. You think that only humans pass their days with idle gossip." Jerking his arm away, he continued. "You're slowing us down. Do I need to help you move more quickly?"

Stalking forward, Klaus glared at Mikael. "And what does Katherine get in return?"

"Power that only you could dream of. The kind of power to kill you. And do you believe she will stop there? No. She will seek to kill anyone who attempts to stop her." Mikael said, a grim look on his face.

"Oh, so this is about your precious Freya, again?" Klaus demanded.

"Stop sulking, Niklaus," Mikael shouted. "We will have this out, once and for all. After we find the girls and send our enemies back to hell."

"Even if we end up there ourselves?" Klaus retorted with mirth.

Mikael smirked back at him. "I'll save you a seat." Looked like Father finally found a sense of humor after a millennium.

Klaus tried to contain his pleasure about working with his father again but he couldn't manage until he thought of Katherine with Hope. She would die at his hand this time. Caroline would not stay his hand.

At that moment his phone rang and Klaus pulled it out. "Caroline?"

"Your aunt has my girls. We're coming to you," Caroline said breathlessly.

"We might have to kill our enemies," Klaus replied.

"Mercy is for the weak," Caroline said, her voice edged with a rage that Klaus relished in. He could not have said it better himself.

 **Thank you for reading, faving, following and reviewing.**

 **Peace,**

 **Jessica**


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